Samoan culture tells stories of many different deities. There were deities of the forest, the seas, rain, harvest, villages, and war.[1] There were two types of deities,atua, who had non-human origins, andaitu, who were of human origin.
Tagaloa was a supreme god who made the islands and the people.Mafuiʻe was the god ofearthquakes.[2] There were also a number of war deities.Nafanua, Samoa's warrior goddess hails from the village ofFalealupo at the western end ofSavai'i island, which is also the site of the entry intoPulotu, the spirit world. She also is regarded as a peace bringer, having brought peace to Savai'i through winning the wars between the two regions of the island.Tilafaiga is the mother of Nafanua. Nafanua's father,Saveasi'uleo, was the god of Pulotu.[3] Another well-known legend tells of two sisters, Tilafaiga, the mother of Nafanua, andTaema, bringing the art of tattooing to Samoa from Fiji.
A figure of another legend isTui Fiti, who resides atFagamalo village in the village district ofMatautu. The village ofFalelima is associated with a dreaded spirit deity called,Nifoloa. TheMata o le Alelo 'Eyes of the Demon' freshwater pool from the Polynesian legendSina and the Eel is situated in the village of Matavai on the northern coast in the village district ofSafune.[4]
Fetu ("star") is the god of the night. His wife isEle'ele.[5]
Samoan mythology is a variant of a more generalPolynesian mythology in theSamoa Islands.
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