POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
195 
after death were deified by their descendants. Roo^ 
Tane, Teiri^ probably Tairi principal idol of the 
Sandwich Islanders^ Tefatu^ Ruanuu^ Moe^ Teepa, 
Puaua^ Tefatuture^ Opaevai, Haana, and Taumure. 
These all received the homage of the people^ and 
were on all public occasions acknowledged among 
Tahiti’s gods. 
Their gods of the ocean were not less numerous; 
this was to be expected amongst a people dwelling in 
islands deriving a great part of their sustenance from 
the sea^ and almost amphibious in their habits. The 
names of fourteen principal marine divinities were com* 
municated by the first Missionaries | others have been 
subsequently added, but it is unnecessary to enumerate 
them here. They are not supposed by the people to be 
of equal antiquity with the akuafauau po^ or night-born 
gods. 
They were probably men who had excelled their con¬ 
temporaries in nautical adventure or exploit, and were 
deified by their descendants. Hiro is conspicuous 
amongst them, although not exclusively a god of the 
sea. The most romantic accounts are given in their aai, 
or tales, of his adventures, his voyages, his combat with 
the gods of the tempests, his descent to the depth of 
the ocean, and residence at the bottom of the abyss, 
his intercourse with the monsters there, by whom he 
was lulled to sleep in a cavern of the ocean, while 
the god of the winds raised a violent storm, to de¬ 
stroy a ship in which his friends were voyaging. 
Destruction seemed to them inevitable—they invoked his 
aid—a friendly spirit entered the cavern in which he 
was reposing, roused him from his slumbers, and 
informed him of their danger. He rose to the surface of 
