| Pele | |
|---|---|
Goddess of Volcanoes and Fire | |
 Pele byD. Howard Hitchcock,c. 1929 | |
| Abode | Halemaʻumaʻu |
| Symbol | fire, volcano |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Haumea Ku-waha-ilo |
| Siblings | Hiʻiaka Nāmaka Kapo Kamohoalii Kāne Milohai |
InHawaiian religion,Pele (pronounced[ˈpɛlɛ]) is the goddess of volcanoes and fire and the creator of theHawaiian Islands. Often referred to as "Madame Pele" or "Tūtū Pele" as a sign of respect, she is a well-known deity withinHawaiian mythology and is notable for her contemporary presence and cultural influence as an enduring figure fromancient Hawaii.[1]Epithets of the goddess includePele-honua-mea ('Pele of the sacred land') andKa wahine ʻai honua ('The earth-eating woman').[2]
In different stories talking about the goddess Pele, she was born from the female spirit namedHaumea, a descendant ofPapa, or Earth Mother, andWakea, Sky Father, both descendants of the supreme beings. Pele is also known as "She who shapes the sacred land," known to be said in ancientHawaiian chants.[3][4] The first published stories about Pele were written down byWilliam Ellis.[5]: 5
Kīlauea is a currently active volcano that is located on the island of Hawaiʻi and is still being extensively studied.[6] Many Hawaiians believe Kilauea to be inhabited by a "family of fire gods," one of the sisters being Pele who is believed to govern Kilauea and is responsible for controlling its lava flows.[7]There are several traditional legends associated with Pele in Hawaiian mythology. In addition to being recognized as the goddess of volcanoes, Pele is also known for her power, passion, jealousy, and capriciousness. She has numerous siblings, includingKāne Milohai,Kamohoaliʻi,Nāmaka, and numerous sisters namedHiʻiaka, the most famous being Hiʻiakaikapoliopele (Hiʻiaka in the bosom of Pele). They are usually considered to be the offspring ofHaumea. Pele's siblings include deities of various types of wind, rain, fire, ocean wave forms, and cloud forms. Her home is believed to be the fire pit calledHalemaʻumaʻu at the summit caldera ofKīlauea, one of the Earth's most active volcanoes, but her domain encompasses all volcanic activity on theBig Island of Hawaiʻi.[8]
Pele shares features similar to other malignant deities inhabiting volcanoes, as in the case of the devilGuayota ofGuanche Mythology in theCanary Islands, living on the volcanoTeide and considered by the aboriginalGuanches as responsible for the eruptions of the volcano.[9]
Legend told that Pele herself journeyed on her canoe from the island of Tahiti to Hawaiʻi. When on her journey, it was said she tried to create her fires on different islands, but her sister, Nāmaka, was chasing her, wanting to put an end to her. In the end, the two sisters fought each other and Pele was killed. With this happening, her body was destroyed but her spirit lives in Halemaʻumaʻu on Kilauea. They say, "Her body is the lava and steam that comes from the volcano. She can also change form, appearing as a white dog, old woman, or beautiful young woman."[10]
In addition to her role as goddess of fire and her strong association with volcanoes, Pele is also regarded as the "goddess of the hula."[11] She is a significant figure in the history ofhula because of her sister Hiʻiaka, who is believed to be the first person to dance hula.[12] As a result of Pele's significance in hula, there have been many hula dances and chants dedicated to her and her family. With hula being dedicated to Pele, the dance is often performed in a way that represents her intense personality and the movement of volcanoes.[13]
In one version of the story, Pele is the daughter of Kanehoalani and Haumea in the mystical land of Kuaihelani, a floating free land likeFata Morgana. Kuaihelani was in the region ofKahiki (Kukulu o Kahiki). She stays close to her mother's fireplace with the fire-keeper Lono-makua. Her older sisterNā-maka-o-Kahaʻi, a seagoddess, fears that Pele's ambition would smother the homeland and drives Pele away. Kamohoali'i takes Pele south in a canoe called Honua-i-a-kea, along with her younger sisterHiʻiaka and with her brothers Kamohoaliʻi, Kane-milo-hai, Kane-apua, arriving at the islets above Hawaii. There Kane-milo-hai is left on Mokupapapa, just a reef, to build it up in fitness for human residence. On Nihoa, 800 feet above the ocean, Pele leaves Kane-apua after her visit to Lehua and after crowning a wreath of kau-no'a. Pele feels sorry for her younger brother and picks him up again. Pele used the divining rod, Pa‘oa, to pick a new home. A group of chants tells of a pursuit by Namakaokahaʻi, who tears Pele apart. Her bones, KaiwioPele, form a hill on Kahikinui, while her spirit escaped to the island of Hawaiʻi.[14]
In another version, Pele comes from a land said to be "close to the clouds," with parents Kane-hoa-lani and Ka-hina-liʻi, and brothers Ka-moho-aliʻi and Kahuila-o-ka-lani. From her husband Wahieloa (also called Wahialoa) she has a daughter, Laka, and a sonMenehune. Pele-kumu-honua entices her husband and Pele travels in search of him. The sea pours from her head over the land of Kanaloa (perhaps the island now known asKahoʻolawe) and her brothers say:
O the sea, the great sea!
Forth bursts the sea:
Behold, it bursts on Kanaloa!
The sea floods the land, then recedes; this flooding is called Kai a Kahinalii ("The sea of Ka-hina-liʻi"), as Pele's connection to the sea was passed down from her mother Kahinalii.[14][15][16]
Pele is considered to be a rival of the Hawaiian goddess of snow,Poliʻahu, and her sisters Lilinoe (a goddess of fine rain), Waiau (goddess of Lake Waiau), and Kahoupokane (a kapa-maker whose kapa-making activities create thunder, rain, and lightning). All except Kahoupokane reside onMauna Kea. The kapa-maker lives onHualalai.
One myth tells that Poliʻahu had come from Mauna Kea with her friends to attend sled races down the grassy hills south ofHamakua. Pele came disguised as a beautiful stranger and was greeted by Poliʻahu. However, Pele became jealously enraged at the goddess of Mauna Kea. She opened the caverns of Mauna Kea and threw fire from them towards Poliʻahu, with the snow goddess fleeing towards the summit. Poliʻahu was finally able to grab her now-burning snow mantle and throw it over the mountain. Earthquakes shook the island as the snow mantle unfolded until it reached the fire fountains, chilling and hardening the lava. The rivers of lava were driven back toMauna Loa andKīlauea. Later battles also led to the defeat of Pele and confirmed the supremacy of the snow goddesses in the northern portion of the island, and Pele in the southern portion.[17]
In one account of the Pele myths, she is banished from her home inTahiti for creating hot spots by her older sister,Namakaokahaʻi, who also convinced the rest of her family that Pele would burn them all. Then, Pele travels on the canoe Honuaiakea to find a new home with her brotherKamohoaliʻi. Her mother gave her an egg to take care of and it later hatches into a baby girl whom Pele names Hiʻiaka-i-ka-poli-o-pele (Hiʻiaka in the Bosom of Pele) or Hiʻiaka for short. She is her favorite sister and encouraged her to befriend the people ofPuna. However, when Hiʻiaka became best friends with a girl named Hōpoe, Pele became jealous of their friendship. Pele saw Lohiʻau, a chief ofKauaʻi, in a dream, sending Hiʻiaka to bring him to her in forty days or else she would punish them. When Hiʻiaka seeks out Lohiʻau, she discovers he is dead but she calls upon the power of the sorcery goddess Uli to revive him.[18] As Hiʻiaka is on her journey, Pele grows impatient and sends a lava flow to Hōpoe's home before the forty days were up. When Hiʻiaka returns toHawaiʻi with Lohiʻau, she saw Hōpoe covered in stone and knew Pele was behind this. Hiʻiaka spitefully embraced Lohiʻau in Pele's view, which further angered Pele, who then covered Lohiʻau with lava as well. The sisters saw that their anger led to the death of the two people who meant the most to them, so Pele apologetically brought Lohiʻau back to life and let him decide whom he would choose. Unfortunately for Pele, Lohiʻau ended up choosing Hiʻiaka, yet Pele gave them both her blessing.[19]
In another version of the myth, Pele hears the beating of drums and chanting coming from Kauaʻi while she is sleeping and travels there in her spirit form. She disguises herself as a beautiful young woman and meets Lohiʻau in this way. After three days of making love together, Pele goes back to Hawaiʻi and Lohiʻau dies from a broken heart.[20]
Belief in Pele continued after the old religion was officially abolished in 1819. In the summer of 1823 English missionaryWilliam Ellis toured the island to determine locations for mission stations.[21]: 236 After a long journey to the volcanoKīlauea with little food, Ellis eagerly ate the wild berries he found growing there.[21]: 128 The berries of the ʻōhelo(Vaccinium reticulatum) plant are considered sacred to Pele. Traditionally prayers and offerings to Pele were always made before eating the berries. The volcano crater was an active lava lake, which the natives feared was a sign that Pele was not pleased with the violation.[21]: 143 Although wood carvings and thatched temples were easily destroyed, the volcano was a natural monument to the goddess.
In December 1824 theHigh Chiefess Kapiʻolani descended into Halemaʻumaʻu after reciting a Christian prayer instead of the traditional Hawaiian one to Pele. As it was predicted, she survived and this story was often told by missionaries to show the superiority of their faith.[22]Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892) wrote a poem about the incident in 1892.[23]
Anurban legend states that Pele herself occasionally warns locals of impending eruptions. Appearing in the form of either a beautiful young woman or an elderly woman with white hair, sometimes accompanied by a small white dog, and always dressed in a redmuumuu, Pele is said to walk along the roads near Kīlauea, but will vanish if passersby stop to help her, similar to theResurrection Mary orvanishing hitchhiker legend. The passerby is then obliged to warn others or suffer misfortune in the next eruption. Another legend,Pele's Curse, states that Pele's wrath will fall on anyone who removes items from her island. Every year numerous small natural items are returned by post to theNational Park Service by tourists seeking Pele's forgiveness. It is believed Pele's Curse was invented in the mid-20th century to deter tourist depredation.[24]
When businessmanGeorge Lycurgus ran a hotel at the rim of Kīlauea, called theVolcano House from 1904 through 1921, he would often "pray" to Pele for the sake of the tourists. Park officials frowned upon his practices of tossing items, such as gin bottles (after drinking their contents), into the crater.[25]
William Hyde Rice included an 11-page summary of the legends of Pele in his 1923 collection of Hawaiian legends, a reprint of which is available online from theBernice P. Bishop Museum's Special Publications section.[26]
In 2003 theVolcano Art Center had a special competition for Pele paintings to replace one done in the early 20th century byD. Howard Hitchcock displayed in theHawaii Volcanoes National Park visitors center. The existing portrait of what looked like a blond Caucasian as the Hawaiian goddess had been criticized by many Native Hawaiians.[27] Over 140 paintings were submitted, and finalists were displayed at sites within the park.[28] The winner of the contest was artistArthur Johnsen ofPuna.[29] This version shows the goddess in shades of red, with her digging staffPāʻoa in her left hand, and an embryonic form of her sister goddessHiʻiaka in her right hand.[30] The painting is now on display at the Kilauea Visitor Center.[31]
The religious groupLove Has Won briefly moved to Hawaii and sparked violent protests from locals after claiming their founderAmy Carlson was Pele.[32]
Pele is among the gods and goddesses depicted inWalt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room at theDisney Parks. She is voiced byGinny Tyler.
In June 2025, Austrian violinist Markus Mars released "Pele's Fire", an experimental looping piece based on recording environmental sounds of theHawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park whileKīlauea was erupting earlier the same year.[33]
Pele's other prominent relatives are:
Lapakū ka wahine a‘o Pele i Kahiki
‘Oaka e ka lani noke nō
‘Eli‘eli kau mai
‘Oaka e ka lani noke nō
‘Eli‘eli kau mai
‘Uhī a ‘uhā mai ana ‘o Pele
I ka lua a‘o Halema‘uma‘u
Pele is active in Tahiti
Continuously flashing in the heavens
May profound reverence alight
Continuously flashing in the heavens
May profound reverence alight indeed
Rumbling, puffing, Pele comes
To the crater at Halema‘uma‘u.
Mai ka Lua a‘u i hele mai nei, mai Kīlauea,
Ke kui ‘ia maila e nā wāhine o ka Lua ē
‘O Puna lehua ‘ula i ka papa
I ‘ula i ka papa ka lehua o Puna
From the crater I’ve come, from Kīlauea,
The women of the caldera have strung leis
The foundation of Puna is crimson, covered in lehua blossoms.
Sacred is the fountain covered with the lehua blossoms of Puna
Both of the chants above were performed at Halemaʻumaʻu, where it is said Pele currently resides.
Pele shares features similar to other malignant deities inhabiting volcanoes, as in the case of the devilGuayota ofGuanche Mythology inCanary Islands (Spain), living on the volcanoTeide and was considered by the aboriginalGuanches as responsible for the eruptions of the volcano.[35]
Several phenomena connected to volcanism have been named after her, includingPele's hair,Pele's tears, andLimu o Pele (Pele's seaweed). A volcano on theJovian moonIo is also namedPele.[36]
Myths about Pele encode dateable natural events.[37]: 22 The chronology of Pele’s journey corresponds with the geological age of the Hawaiian islands.[5]: 19
In 2006, one volcanologist suggested the battle between Pele andHiʻiaka was inspired by geological events around 1500 AD.[5]: 49
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Behold, it bursts on Kanaloa!.
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