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Oceanian Myths and Legends - Page 2

Sail through the myths of Oceania where island gods, sea spirits, and creation beings shape the lands and oceans. These stories celebrate community, balance, and the sacred bond between humans and the sea.

Sepia-toned parchment illustration of Māui aboard a canoe, straining to pull a glowing fishhook from the ocean as a massive landmass rises behind him. His brothers brace the canoe, watching in awe as jagged mountains and lush terrain emerge from the sea. The scene evokes the Polynesian myth of Māui fishing up islands, with dramatic waves, sacred ritual, and divine power.

Māui and the Magic Fishhook: A Polynesian Creation Legend

by Aimiton Precious

November 14, 2025

Myths & Legends·Oceanian Myths and Legends

In the time before time, when the world was young and the vast Pacific Ocean stretched endlessly in all directions like a blue blanket with no edges, there lived a demigod named Māui. He was the youngest of several brothers, born with the blood of gods flowing through his veins and mischief dancing in his eyes. Māui was clever beyond

Sepia-toned parchment-style illustration depicting a scene from a Papua New Guinea legend. A distraught mother reaches toward her son, who is mid-transformation into a cassowary black feathers sprouting from his arms and back, his legs thickening into clawed bird limbs.

Myths & Legends·Oceanian Myths and Legends

The Boy Who Became a Cassowary: Oceanian Transformation Legend

In the misty highlands of Papua New Guinea, where mountains rise green and steep into clouds that seem to rest upon their peaks, there lived a mother and her son in a small village nestled among the slopes. Their home was a simple dwelling like others in the village, built

Sepia-toned parchment-style illustration depicting a scene from the Marshallese legend “The Woman from the Sea.” On a sandy shore, the sea maiden transforms—her legs melting into a fish tail and her long hair rising like seaweed—as she faces Jebro, the fisherman who has broken a sacred taboo.

Jebro and the Sea Woman: Ancient Marshallese Ocean Legend

In the time when the ocean still shared its secrets freely with

Sepia-toned illustration on aged rice parchment showing Nei Manganibuka, the Kiribati goddess of fertility and weaving, seated beneath a transformed pandanus tree. She radiates divine warmth, her flowing hair and draped garment glowing softly. Around her, island women sit in reverent poses, weaving pandanus leaves into mats and baskets

Nei Manganibuka: The Fertility Mother and Weaving Goddess of Kiribati

In the scattered coral atolls of the Southern Gilbert Islands, where the

Sepia-toned parchment-style illustration depicting the Yapese legend “The Flying Canoe of Yap.” In the sky, a master navigator stands in a carved canoe soaring through swirling clouds, paddling through the air with focused determination

Anagumang’s Flying Canoe: Ancient Oceanian Legend from Micronesia

November 21, 2025

Myths & Legends·Oceanian Myths and Legends

Sepia-toned parchment-style illustration depicting the Kiribati legend “The Tree of Tebuana the Ancestor.” A massive tree stretches skyward, its trunk cracked and splintering as two children fall from its branches, arms outstretched in fear.

The Ancestor Tree of Kiribati: How Tebuana Connected Heaven and Earth

November 21, 2025

Myths & Legends·Oceanian Myths and Legends

Sepia-toned parchment-style illustration depicting Eijebong, the Sky Maiden from Nauruan legend, waist-deep in a secluded lagoon surrounded by volcanic rocks and palm trees

Eijebong the Sky Maiden: Ancient Oceanian Legend of Love

November 21, 2025

Oceanian Myths and Legends

Sepia-toned parchment illustration of Māui restraining the furious Sun with thick ropes at dawn’s edge. He stands determined, wielding a sacred jawbone club, while his brothers pull the ropes tight.

Māui and the Sun: An Oceanian Legend of Balance

November 14, 2025

Myths & Legends·Oceanian Myths and Legends

Sepia-toned parchment illustration of Nareau the Spider, the cosmic weaver, seated beside a stream in a primordial landscape. His massive, segmented legs stretch across the sky, which is formed from the skull of the sacrificed god Na Atibu.

Nareau the Spider Creator: An Oceanian Legend of Sacrifice

November 14, 2025

Myths & Legends·Oceanian Myths and Legends

Sepia-toned parchment illustration of Tu‘i Pulotu, the divine ruler of the ancestral realm, seated cross-legged beside a radiant lagoon under a glowing sun. His serene face and haloed presence reflect spiritual authority and eternal wisdom.

The Sacred Realm of Pulotu: An Oceanian Legend of Ancestral Paradise

November 14, 2025

Myths & Legends·Oceanian Myths and Legends

Sepia-toned parchment illustration of Miru, goddess of the underworld, stirring the lake of souls in Avaiki with a long staff. Emaciated spirits drink kava from bowls filled with centipedes, while others drown in the swirling waters.

Miru: The Feared Goddess Who Ruled the Cook Islands

November 14, 2025

Myths & Legends·Oceanian Myths and Legends

Sepia-toned parchment illustration of Māui striking the massive eel god Tuna with a raised club during their mythic battle. Tuna’s serpentine body coils through turbulent water, his eye wide with emotion.

Tuna the Eel God: An Ancient Oceanian Legend

November 14, 2025

Myths & Legends·Oceanian Myths and Legends

Sepia-toned parchment illustration of Sina kneeling by the water’s edge, gazing at the spirit eel Tuna as he emerges from the waves. Her hand is extended in compassion, while Tuna’s sorrowful eyes meet hers.

Sina and the Eel: An Oceanian Legend of the First Coconut Tree

November 14, 2025

Myths & Legends·Oceanian Myths and Legends

Sepia-toned parchment illustration of Māori warrior Rāta confronting forest spirits, the Hakuturi, beside a sacred tree in a twilight forest. Rāta holds an adze, while the elder spirit, cloaked in moss and bark, gestures toward him. Smaller spirits encircle the tree, which glows under moonlight, symbolizing the restoration of nature and the power of ritual and respect.

Rāta & the Sacred Canoe: A Polynesian Legend of Respect

November 14, 2025

Myths & Legends·Oceanian Myths and Legends

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