Best. — The Maori Genius for Personification. 5 



Yet another of the brothers is the dread Whiro, he who personifies 

 darkness, death, and evil. Id the fierce war that waged between Tane 

 (representing fight and life) and Whiro (representing darkness and death) 

 the latter was defeated. Hence he retired to the underworld, where he 

 ever wages war against mankind and drags them down to death, while 

 ever the former Dawn Maid, now QueeD of the Underworld, strives against 

 him for the souls of the dead. 



In Tangaroa we have the personified form of fish, and he shares 

 with Rona the task of controlling the ocean tides. 



Te Ihorangi personifies rain, while Parawhenua-mea is the origin and 

 personification of the waters of earth. The former was one of the primal 

 offspring, but the latter, a female, was one of the daughters of Tane by 

 Hine-tu-pari-maunga, the Mountain Maid ; hence the streams seen descend- 

 ing from the great ranges. The offspring of Parawhenua-mea (water) was 

 Rakahore, who represents rock, and who took to wife Hine-uku-rangi. 

 the Clay Maid, and produced the personified forms of stones, such as 

 Hine-tuakirikiri (Gravel Maid), and Hine-tuahoanga (Sandstone Maid), 

 Hine-tauira (a form of flint), and many others. Another of the family was 

 Tuamatua, who took to wife Wai-pakihi (Shoal Water), and begat different 

 forms of stones, and sand. 



Parawhenua-mea was taken to wife by Kiwa, guardian of the ocean, 

 which is known as the Great Ocean of Kiwa. But the ocean is personified 

 in one Hine-moana (Ocean Maid). 



One Mahuika personifies fire. In the first place, fire emanated from the 

 sun. When Tama-nui-te-ra (honorific name of the sun) decided to confer 

 a benefit on man he sent them fire by, or in the form of, one Auahi-tu- 

 roa (a personified form of comets). Mahuika had five children, and their 

 names are those of the five fingers of the hand. (In Indian myth, Agni, 

 the fire god, had ten mothers, who were the ten fingers of the hands.) These 

 were the Fire Children, or family, and in the myth of Maui we see that 

 Mahuika plucked off one of her fingers and gave it to him as fire. When 

 pursued by Fire, Maui called upon Te Ihorangi (rain) to save him ; hence 

 rain fell, and fire fled for shelter to Hine-kaikomako (personified form of 

 the kaikomako tree, Pennantia corymbosa). Thus is it that when man seeks 

 to generate fire he hews a piece off the body of Hine-kaikomako whereby 

 to procure it. The sister of Mahuika, one Hine-i-tapeka, represents the 

 fire of the underworld — volcanic fire. 



Now, the sun has two wives, Hine-raumati, or Summer Maid, the per- 

 sonified form of summer, and Hine-takurua, or Winter Maid, the personified 

 form of winter. The latter is a fisher, and the former a cultivator of food 

 products. The sun dwells half a year with the Summer Maid, and the 

 other half with the Winter Maid. The offspring of the former is Tane-rore, 

 whose dancing is the quivering appearance of heated air in the summer- 

 time. It is personified in Parearohi. 



We have in Hine-ata a personified form of morning ; of day in Hine- 

 aotea ; and of evening in Hine-ahiahi, the Evening Maid. All three are 

 females. This is a Moriori myth. 



In Hine-te-uira and Tama-te-uira we have personified forms of lightning, 

 one of each sex ; and there are ten other such forms. Tawhaki also seems 

 to be connected with lightning, as also was Mataaho. 



Whaitiri personifies thunder, but each kind of thunderstorm has its 

 own personified form, such as Rautupu, Whaitiri -pakapaka, Ku, Ea, 

 Aputahi-a-pawa, Tane-matau, and other?. Thunder is often personified 



