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| art by Herb Kāne |
Erene was the most beautiful woman in the world, so beautiful that it was said she was the daughter of the Sky God Tiwo, who had lain with the wife of the Chieftain of Raketaminio. She was married to Mengerao son of Ateru, but stolen by Prince Palitisi of Taloia. Mengerao called upon his brother, Akakamuna, mighty chief of Mukanai, his face tattooed with the likeness of the tusk and whiskers of the boar, for aid, and a great host was assembled and there war canoes made for Taloia, with cunning Uluihi, veteran Nehetoru, and strong Aiwaha among them. Greatest in battle would be the demigod Akirihi, who would dance his war dance before palisades of Taloia and kill its champion E’etolo with his shark-toothed war club.
So, basically: Why not recast the Greek Age of Heroes in a pseudo-Polynesian fantasy Oceania? Here's a list of gods (with name variants):
Tiwo/Kiwe: Sky God
Era/Ela: His wife
Emā: Messanger god
Are/Ale: War god
Tiwonuho/Kiwonuho: God of kava and beer
Apaitio/Apaikio: Volcano god.
Pāwone/Aparanu: God of song
Pohetahone/Pohekao: Sea god.
Atana/Akana: Goddess of Wisdom
Atamito/Akemike: Shark goddess of the hunt
Apatite/Apakiki: Love and fertility goddess
Ehatia/Ehakia: Goddess of the cook fires
Tamate/Kamaki: Goddess of cultivated crops, particularly sweet potato and taro
Personally I'm a big fan of the tales of the many years of wanderings among the islands of the hero Ote'teo (War-chief of Atkeo) and his companions in their war-canoe (after Menegaro's war with Taloia).
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. I've been working on trying to do a Finnish/Sumerian mashup in a similar vein, and then a Norse/Aztec crossover. You made Greek/Polynesian seem really easy!
Thanks. There are a lot of combinations that would work I think. Seafaring Greeks and seafaring Polynesians seeemed a natural.
ReplyDeleteShark-toothed war clubs just seems so vicious as weapons. You use what is available in your environment, but using shark teeth just seems mean.
ReplyDelete