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Polynesian Folktales

An illustration of Ta‘aroa breaking his shell to form sky and earth, Tahitian creation myth.

Ta‘aroa: The Creator in the Shell

Before there was time, before the waves, winds, or stars, there was only Ta‘aroa, the Great Origin, enclosed within his shell, Rumia. Inside that infinite darkness, he dwelled alone. His shell was vast, smooth, and round, without crack or sound. For endless ages, Ta‘aroa remained in solitude, hearing only the echo
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