WoHLERS. — Mythology and Traditions of the Maori, 13 



into the hut of his grandfather, his name was Murirakawhenua, to see how 

 he was, and found the old man dead. One side was still fresh, but the other 

 was decayed. Maui broke out the jawbone, took it to the water, and cleansed 

 it under incantation to make it into a charmed fishhook, and then hid it. 



In Sir George Grey's collection there is this difference about this same 

 tale, that Murirakawhenua was not a grandfather, but a grandmother, and 

 that she was not dead when Maui went to her hut, but only angry, and first 

 swelled herself to swallow him, but became friendly when she heard that he 

 was her grandson, and that she gave him her jawbone with a good will. 



Maui being always up to some mischief, his brothers had become quite 

 afraid of him, and would not let him go out with them on the sea to fish. But 

 having provided himself with a line, and having the jawbone of his ancestor in 

 his possession for a fishhook, he went in the night into the canoe and hid 

 himself in the basket with the fishing lines. Early in the morning his brothers 

 came and launched the canoe, and paddled out to the fishing ground. Then, 

 to their astonishment and dismay, they found Maui under the fishing-tackle. 

 Some said he should be put on the shore again, but others said he might 

 remain in the canoe, but should have no hook. By and by Maui said, "I am 

 provided with hook and line, only give me a bait." But that was refused him. 

 Then he pulled his own nose till it bled, and when the blood had clotted he 

 put it on his hook (the jawbone), and let his line down. It soon fastened, and 

 then there was such a commotion in the sea that even the mother felt it on 

 shore, and exclaimed, "There, the boy is at his mischief again!" The 

 brothers screamed for fright, "Maui, let go thy fish; let go, it is a monster." 

 But Maui very calmly said, " This is the fish I have come to catch," and kept 

 on pulling up. When he had got it to the surface it proved to be the bottom 

 of the sea; but it was just like any other land. There stood houses and 

 whatas; the fires smoked, the dogs barked, and the people talked. 



It is also said that Maui took a wife, the daughter of Tuna (eel) and Repo 

 (swamp), and that he cut his father-in-law into two parts; the tail swam to the 

 sea, and became the sea-eel, and the head swam up the fresh-water courses, and 

 became the fresh-water eel. 



Now it happened that the Sun got lazy; he got up late in the morning, then 

 went badly over his course, and went to rest again early in the evening. 

 Maui would not allow that; for when his wife began to heat the oven in the 

 morning, it was night again before the food was done, and he had to eat his 

 dinner in the dark. So he persuaded his brothers to assist him to catch the 

 Sun, when he would make him do his work properly. Having provided 

 themselves with a long and strong rope, they went in the night to the mouth 

 of the cave, through which the Sun comes forth in the morning. Here they 



