Info on Weresharks/Wereoctopi?
Info on Weresharks/Wereoctopi?
Well, I read in a book that there were wereshark and wereoctopi type creatures in Polynesian myth, but I can't find anything more about them. Anyone have any info on them?
XIV
Wikipedia is your friend.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kupua : "Mamala the surf-rider was a chieftess of kupua character. She is described as a moʻo, or gigantic lizard or crocodile, as well as a beautiful woman. She could assume whichever shape she most desired. One of the legends says that she was a shark and woman."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamohoalii : "In Hawaiian mythology, Ka-moho-ali'i is a shark god and a son of Haumea and Kāne Milohai. Ka-moho-ali'i swam in the area around Maui and Kahoolawe. When a ship was lost at sea, Ka-moho-ali'i shook his tail in front of the fleet and the kahuna would feed him "awa" (a name for kava, a narcotic drink), and Ka-moho-ali'i would guide the men home. He is sometimes said to have guided the ships of the original inhabitants of Hawaii from the mainland to their island home in this way."
But most of the info is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark : "Sharks figure prominently in the Hawaiian mythology. There are stories of shark men who have shark jaws on their back. They could change form between shark and human at any time they desired. A common theme in the stories was that the shark men would warn beach-goers that sharks were in the waters. The beach-goers would laugh and ignore the warnings and go swimming, subsequently being eaten by the same shark man who warned them not to enter the water. Hawaiian mythology also contained many shark gods. They believed that sharks were guardians of the sea, and called them Aumakua:[42]
* Kamohoali'i - The best known and revered of the shark gods, he was the older and favoured brother of Pele,[43] and helped and journeyed with her to Hawaii. He was able to take on all human and fish forms. A summit cliff on the crater of Kilauea is considered to be one of his most sacred spots. At one point he had a he'iau (temple or shrine) dedicated to him on every piece of land that jutted into the ocean on the island of Moloka'i.
* Ka'ahupahau - This goddess was born human, with her defining characteristic being her red hair. She was later transformed into shark form and was believed to protect the people who lived on O'ahu from sharks. She was also believed to live near Pearl Harbor.
* Kaholia Kane - This was the shark god of the ali'i Kalaniopu'u and he was believed to live in a cave at Puhi, Kaua'i.
* Kane'ae - The shark goddess who transformed into a human in order to experience the joy of dancing.
* Kane'apua - Most commonly, he was the brother of Pele and Kamohoali'i. He was a trickster god who performed many heroic feats, including the calming of two legendary colliding hills that destroyed canoes trying to pass between.
* Kawelomahamahai'a - Another human, he was transformed into a shark.
* Keali'ikau 'o Ka'u - He was the cousin of Pele and son of Kua. He was called the protector of the Ka'u people. He had an affair with a human girl, who gave birth to a helpful green shark.
* Kua - This was the main shark god of the people of Ka'u, and believed to be their ancestor.
* Kuhaimoana - He was the brother of Pele and lived in the Ka'ula islet. He was said to be 30 fathoms (55 m) long and was the husband of Ka'ahupahau.
* Kauhuhu - He was a fierce king shark that lived in a cave in Kipahulu on the island of Maui. He sometimes moved to another cave on the windward side of island of Moloka'i.
* Kane-i-kokala - A kind shark god that saved shipwrecked people by taking them to shore. The people who worshipped him feared to eat, touch or cross the smoke of the kokala, his sacred fish."
How about googling (or wikipediaing) for information before asking, next time?
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kupua : "Mamala the surf-rider was a chieftess of kupua character. She is described as a moʻo, or gigantic lizard or crocodile, as well as a beautiful woman. She could assume whichever shape she most desired. One of the legends says that she was a shark and woman."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamohoalii : "In Hawaiian mythology, Ka-moho-ali'i is a shark god and a son of Haumea and Kāne Milohai. Ka-moho-ali'i swam in the area around Maui and Kahoolawe. When a ship was lost at sea, Ka-moho-ali'i shook his tail in front of the fleet and the kahuna would feed him "awa" (a name for kava, a narcotic drink), and Ka-moho-ali'i would guide the men home. He is sometimes said to have guided the ships of the original inhabitants of Hawaii from the mainland to their island home in this way."
But most of the info is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark : "Sharks figure prominently in the Hawaiian mythology. There are stories of shark men who have shark jaws on their back. They could change form between shark and human at any time they desired. A common theme in the stories was that the shark men would warn beach-goers that sharks were in the waters. The beach-goers would laugh and ignore the warnings and go swimming, subsequently being eaten by the same shark man who warned them not to enter the water. Hawaiian mythology also contained many shark gods. They believed that sharks were guardians of the sea, and called them Aumakua:[42]
* Kamohoali'i - The best known and revered of the shark gods, he was the older and favoured brother of Pele,[43] and helped and journeyed with her to Hawaii. He was able to take on all human and fish forms. A summit cliff on the crater of Kilauea is considered to be one of his most sacred spots. At one point he had a he'iau (temple or shrine) dedicated to him on every piece of land that jutted into the ocean on the island of Moloka'i.
* Ka'ahupahau - This goddess was born human, with her defining characteristic being her red hair. She was later transformed into shark form and was believed to protect the people who lived on O'ahu from sharks. She was also believed to live near Pearl Harbor.
* Kaholia Kane - This was the shark god of the ali'i Kalaniopu'u and he was believed to live in a cave at Puhi, Kaua'i.
* Kane'ae - The shark goddess who transformed into a human in order to experience the joy of dancing.
* Kane'apua - Most commonly, he was the brother of Pele and Kamohoali'i. He was a trickster god who performed many heroic feats, including the calming of two legendary colliding hills that destroyed canoes trying to pass between.
* Kawelomahamahai'a - Another human, he was transformed into a shark.
* Keali'ikau 'o Ka'u - He was the cousin of Pele and son of Kua. He was called the protector of the Ka'u people. He had an affair with a human girl, who gave birth to a helpful green shark.
* Kua - This was the main shark god of the people of Ka'u, and believed to be their ancestor.
* Kuhaimoana - He was the brother of Pele and lived in the Ka'ula islet. He was said to be 30 fathoms (55 m) long and was the husband of Ka'ahupahau.
* Kauhuhu - He was a fierce king shark that lived in a cave in Kipahulu on the island of Maui. He sometimes moved to another cave on the windward side of island of Moloka'i.
* Kane-i-kokala - A kind shark god that saved shipwrecked people by taking them to shore. The people who worshipped him feared to eat, touch or cross the smoke of the kokala, his sacred fish."
How about googling (or wikipediaing) for information before asking, next time?
Actually, the book I found out about them in said that the weresharks and wereoctopi that I was asking about were Polynesian not Hawaiian. But nice try.
:EDIT: Also, I looked on Google and Wikipedia and I couldn't find jack crap on them.
:EDIT: Also, I looked on Google and Wikipedia and I couldn't find jack crap on them.
Last edited by Dreamer on Sat Jan 12, 2008 1:43 am, edited 2 times in total.
XIV
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Rhuen
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As much as I like hearing about the seldom mentioned Hawaiing gods, gods don't count as were-beasts.
if they did we could call Zeus a were-bull, or Loki a were-horse. For some of the forms they have chosen to assume in the past. gods take on what ever forms they want to (even human isn't their original or primary form).
if they did we could call Zeus a were-bull, or Loki a were-horse. For some of the forms they have chosen to assume in the past. gods take on what ever forms they want to (even human isn't their original or primary form).
when I look in the mirror what looks back isn't always my reflection.
Dreamer: Hawai'i is part of Polynesia. Polynesia is a major geographical area covering quite a large part of the Pacific ocean; it encompasses Tuvalu, Tonga, Samoa, Niue, Tokelau, Futuna, Rotuma, Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Tahiti and numerous other French colonies I can never remember the names of, Pitcairn, Easter Island, Rekohu (the Chatham Islands) and all the other islands of New Zealand.
To say the shark-man legends of Hawai'i (which I am aware of, although I could not find a decent on-line resource on them in the limited time I had to answer that question - you may not be aware of this, but on the dial-up internet provider I use, it takes up to ten minutes for a Wikipedia page to even load) are "Polynesian, not Hawaiian" is like saying loup-garou legends are French, not European.
Rhuen - why shouldn't shape-shifting Polynesian gods count as were-beasts? There isn't the sort of clear-cut definition between the divine and the human in Polynesian mythology as there is in some European mythologies. I know a little bit about Maori whakapapa - oral genealogical speeches - and they tend to start off with deities as original ancestors.
To say the shark-man legends of Hawai'i (which I am aware of, although I could not find a decent on-line resource on them in the limited time I had to answer that question - you may not be aware of this, but on the dial-up internet provider I use, it takes up to ten minutes for a Wikipedia page to even load) are "Polynesian, not Hawaiian" is like saying loup-garou legends are French, not European.
Rhuen - why shouldn't shape-shifting Polynesian gods count as were-beasts? There isn't the sort of clear-cut definition between the divine and the human in Polynesian mythology as there is in some European mythologies. I know a little bit about Maori whakapapa - oral genealogical speeches - and they tend to start off with deities as original ancestors.
Oops. Well, that wazs geographically ignorant of me.
Of course, I'm pretty sure that thre were weresharks of the non-god variety, as I read that that type did exist in the little stuff I could find on the internet. And the book I first found out about them in also mentioned soem type of Polynesian were octopi, so I'd also like to find soem stuff about that type as well.
Of course, I'm pretty sure that thre were weresharks of the non-god variety, as I read that that type did exist in the little stuff I could find on the internet. And the book I first found out about them in also mentioned soem type of Polynesian were octopi, so I'd also like to find soem stuff about that type as well.
XIV
Weresharks
In Greek mythology, gods regularly turned humans into animals as a form of punishment. For example:
>The boy Akheilos (the Lipless One) was transformed into a shark by the goddess Aphrodite.
[http://www.theoi.com/Ther/Lamia.html]
>>Wrath - Hubristic Boasts
>>AKHILLEUS A Libyan boy of extraordinary beauty who challenged Aphrodite to a beauty contest. The goddess was offended by his hubris and transformed him into an ugly shark.
[http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/AphroditeWrath2.html]
Both terms appear to be variant spellings of -- Achilles --, so I suspect they were picked to distinguish this obscure myth from the famous hero killed during the Trojan War.
Ptolemy Hephaestion, New History Book 6 (summary from Photius, Myriobiblon 190) (trans. Pearse) (Greek mythographer C1st to C2nd A.D.) :
[http://www.theoi.com/Ther/Akheilos.html]
>The boy Akheilos (the Lipless One) was transformed into a shark by the goddess Aphrodite.
[http://www.theoi.com/Ther/Lamia.html]
>>Wrath - Hubristic Boasts
>>AKHILLEUS A Libyan boy of extraordinary beauty who challenged Aphrodite to a beauty contest. The goddess was offended by his hubris and transformed him into an ugly shark.
[http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/AphroditeWrath2.html]
Both terms appear to be variant spellings of -- Achilles --, so I suspect they were picked to distinguish this obscure myth from the famous hero killed during the Trojan War.
Ptolemy Hephaestion, New History Book 6 (summary from Photius, Myriobiblon 190) (trans. Pearse) (Greek mythographer C1st to C2nd A.D.) :
[http://www.theoi.com/Ther/Akheilos.html]