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Tongan Folktales

An illustration of the three Tongan gods Tangaloa, Maui, and Hikule‘o shaping the heavens, earth, and Pulotu.

The Tale of Hikule‘o, Tangaloa, and Maui: Tongan Folktale

Long ago, before there were islands, seas, or stars, there existed only vast darkness and the sacred nothingness known to the gods. Out of this great silence arose three divine siblings, Tangaloa, Maui, and Hikule‘o, born of the first powers that breathed life into the cosmos. Their bond was woven with light and shadow, for through them the universe would be divided

An illustration of a shark and octopus battling among coral reefs, Polynesian folktale scene.

Tongan Folktales·Polynesian Folktales

The Shark and the Octopus: A Polynesian Folktale

In the beginning, when the ocean was young and the coral reefs still glimmered with new light, two great creatures ruled the waters of Polynesia, the Shark, swift and fierce, and the Octopus, clever and watchful. The seas between Tonga and Samoa teemed with fish and shining shells, and both creatures