Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes (mythology) Collected and translated from the Hawaiian — Themes and Context

Geology as Prologue

The foreword situates the Hawaiian Islands within a global volcanic context, describing them as a “curved ridge” built by lava overflows along a migrating crack. Westervelt notes that the last activity moved “from west to east” over thousands of years, leaving two live volcanoes at the eastern end. This scientific introduction does not merely preface the myths; it establishes a vocabulary of molten rock, gas, and circular ramparts that recurs in the legends themselves. The reader encounters Pele’s fire-anger and lava flows not as abstract supernatural forces but as extensions of the same earth processes described in the opening pages.

Hiiaka’s Journey and the Weight of Names

In the excerpt from chapter XV, Hiiaka travels with her companion Wahine-omao. When Wahine-omao asks why Hiiaka weeps, the goddess replies that the smoke from Pele’s anger is falling toward her friend Hopoe. A discussion of names follows: the friend is also called Nana-huki, meaning “eyes like a cord pulling you to her,” but Hiiaka prefers Hopoe, which may mean “one encircled” with wreaths or loving arms. This moment reveals how the narrative layers personal affection over formal naming, and how Hiiaka’s divine perspective allows her to see danger from afar while still expressing human-like grief.

Ghost Chasing and the Boundaries of Life

Later in the same chapter, Hiiaka encounters two girls whose father has drowned. She sees his spirit returning from the beach with a calabash over his shoulder and chases it “from place to place” until it returns to the body. The episode is structured as a pursuit: the ghost wanders aimlessly, afraid of strangers, and Hiiaka drives it back. The narrative dwells on the physical details—the calabash, the reef, the canoe filling with water—while the supernatural action unfolds matter-of-factly. This blend of mundane and magical is characteristic of the collection’s treatment of death and the spirit world.

Recurring Images: Smoke, Ferns, and the Sea

Across the excerpts, certain images recur: smoke from Pele’s anger, the “sweet-scented hala wreaths,” and the sea as both a source of food and a site of drowning. Hiiaka is identified as the goddess of ferns, a detail that ties her to the lush vegetation of the Hawaiian landscape. The movement between scenes is often marked by a shift in vantage point—from the uplands overlooking Hilo Bay to the distant seacoast, from the forest to the reef. These transitions reinforce a geography that is both literal and mythic, where gods and humans share the same terrain and where a glance can span miles.

Readers approaching Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes will find that the collection rewards attention to its structural rhythms: the alternation between scientific framing and mythic narrative, the way personal names carry multiple meanings, and the recurring movement between high vantage points and intimate encounters. Westervelt’s translations preserve a voice that is direct and unadorned, letting the legends speak through concrete images rather than elaborate commentary.