390 A MISSION TO VITI. 
images were ever made of Degei, nor indeed any other 
god, it would have been very easy to strip the concep- 
tion of him of any heathen superstitions. Degei, like 
Jupiter, had a bird, and is supposed to be enshrined in 
a serpent,—the world-wide symbol of eternity,—lying 
coiled up in a cave of Na Vatu, a mountain on the 
Rakiraki coast of Viti Levu, indicating his turning about 
by occasional shocks of earthquakes. (Compare p. 223). 
Some traditions represent him with the head and part 
of the body of a serpent, the rest of his form being 
stone, emblematic of everlasting and unchangeable du- 
ration; in fact, Degei seems to be the personification 
of eternal existence. 
Besides Degei, there is a host of inferior gods, but 
their rank is not easily ascertained, as each district con- 
tends for the superiority of the deity it has adopted and 
specially worships. Tokairabe and Tui Lakeba Radi- 
nadina seem to stand next to Degei; they are his sons, 
and act as mediators in the transmission of prayers 
to their father. Rokomoutu is a son of Degei’s sister, 
and insisted upon being born from her elbow. Some 
of the gods find employment in Bulu, some on earth, 
and the latter are the tutelary deities of whole tribes 
or individuals; thus Rokova and Rokola are invoked 
by the carpenters, Roko Voua and Vosavakadra by the 
fishermen, whilst every chief has a god in whom he 
puts his special trust. 
One of the most universally known gods is Ratu mai 
Bulu; he is the Ceres of Fiji, and comes once a year 
from Bulu to cause the various fruit-trees to blossom 
and yield fruit. During his stay it is forbidden to do 
