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The Legends and Myths of Hawaii: The Fables and Folk-Lore of a Strange People
The Legends and Myths of Hawaii, by King David Kalakaua, who lived from 1836 to 1890, is a remarkable work. It combines many traditional legends with stories about historical incidents, such as the death of Captain James Cook at the hands of the Hawaiians in 1779 and the destruction of Hawaiian temples in 1819.
530 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1888
About the author
David Kalākaua
8 books3 followersKalākaua - born David Laʻamea Kamananakapu Mahinulani Naloiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua and sometimes called The Merrie Monarch - was the last king and penultimate monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Succeeding Lunalilo, he was elected to the vacant throne of Hawaiʻi against Queen Emma. He reigned from February 12, 1874, until his death in San Francisco, California, on January 20, 1891. Kalākaua had a convivial personality and enjoyed entertaining guests with his singing and ukulele playing. At his coronation and his birthday jubilee, the hula that had been banned from public in the kingdom became a celebration of Hawaiian culture.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 6, 2012
This was really long, and it can be tricky to keep track because every character's name starts with K and has a minimum of 12 letters, but otherwise a really interesting and entertaining read, especially if you've visited Hawaii.
February 9, 2019
The compiler of these myths and histories, David Kalākaua, was a king of the Hawaiian islands in the 19th century.
So besides some portions of the Bible, this may be the only book I have read written by a king.
There are some difficulties and problems with this book.
The editor R. M. Daggett writes from an American-centric viewpoint, he is sympathetic to Hawaii and his author, but he still writes somewhat blindly.
The book has many characters and many of these characters’ names start with ‘k’ with subsequent k’s:
“Kaahumanu, one of the wives of Kamehameha I.
Kahekili, king of Maui.
Kalanikupule, king of Oahu, son of Kahekili.
Kaeo, king of Kauai.
Kamakahelei, queen of Kauai.
Imakakaloa, chief of Puna.
Kalaimoku, a distinguished chief.
Kakuhaupio, a counsellor of Kamehameha I.”
It can be somewhat difficult to keep together, but the author does frequently remind the reader who everyone is, so it’s not hopeless. My book also has a helpful list of pronunciations for the letters, and it may help to practice saying some of the names (for those who don’t speak Hawaiian).
Again, this book includes both histories and myths, and at times it is syncretistic, making it hard to know what is history and what is fiction.
This is still a pretty fascinating book. The introduction is a little long, but gives the ignorant reader, like myself, some background information.
And then it begins with histories and later on mythic figures jump into the stories and it ends with a few myths of Pele, the goddess of volcanoes/fire.
I was hoping for more myth than history, but the history was colorful, though not always, and sometimes Kalākaua added details that seemed unnecessary. And when I was hoping for Kalākaua to go into more detail, that’s when he stopped adding detail.
But overall this was a fascinating read.
So besides some portions of the Bible, this may be the only book I have read written by a king.
There are some difficulties and problems with this book.
The editor R. M. Daggett writes from an American-centric viewpoint, he is sympathetic to Hawaii and his author, but he still writes somewhat blindly.
The book has many characters and many of these characters’ names start with ‘k’ with subsequent k’s:
“Kaahumanu, one of the wives of Kamehameha I.
Kahekili, king of Maui.
Kalanikupule, king of Oahu, son of Kahekili.
Kaeo, king of Kauai.
Kamakahelei, queen of Kauai.
Imakakaloa, chief of Puna.
Kalaimoku, a distinguished chief.
Kakuhaupio, a counsellor of Kamehameha I.”
It can be somewhat difficult to keep together, but the author does frequently remind the reader who everyone is, so it’s not hopeless. My book also has a helpful list of pronunciations for the letters, and it may help to practice saying some of the names (for those who don’t speak Hawaiian).
Again, this book includes both histories and myths, and at times it is syncretistic, making it hard to know what is history and what is fiction.
This is still a pretty fascinating book. The introduction is a little long, but gives the ignorant reader, like myself, some background information.
And then it begins with histories and later on mythic figures jump into the stories and it ends with a few myths of Pele, the goddess of volcanoes/fire.
I was hoping for more myth than history, but the history was colorful, though not always, and sometimes Kalākaua added details that seemed unnecessary. And when I was hoping for Kalākaua to go into more detail, that’s when he stopped adding detail.
But overall this was a fascinating read.
November 26, 2017
The book was written by the last King of Hawaii in the late 19th Century. Knowing what little Hawaiian history I do that undoubtedly shaded my reading of the book.
It was very clearly written to present Hawaii in the best light to the 'civilized' world. Which meant, in part, that there was a lot of distancing the writer from the mythology, and a lot of drawing specific parallels between the myths and legends and those more familiar to an American or European audience. The editorializing and judging presented with each and every chapter were heavy handed in the extreme.
The first part of the book deals with quasi-historical events. The early stories are heavily equated to Biblical tales, Arthurian legends, and Greek myths. There are lots of descriptions of military conquests which I didn't find particularly interesting, but they were readable.
As the book goes on more and more of the mythology and metaphysics of the Hawaiian people are related. Little bits of the descriptions of how Hawaiians lived before interacting with Europeans are interspersed throughout. These were fascinating to me. There are brief allusions to the class system, but all the stories are about the nobility, so there was no sense at all of how the 'commoners' lived. The position of women in society was better described, but a bit hard to really put together. There were certainly societal limits on women. The explicit limitations seem to be centered around eating, but it seems likely there were other limits as well. Noble women were free to marry several men, and to divorce. They could own property, and were occasionally monarchs. On the other hand, sometimes they were married off at the will of their fathers, and several stories centered around abusive husbands of innocent and obedient wives.
I would recommend this book more as a curiosity than as a great read.
It was very clearly written to present Hawaii in the best light to the 'civilized' world. Which meant, in part, that there was a lot of distancing the writer from the mythology, and a lot of drawing specific parallels between the myths and legends and those more familiar to an American or European audience. The editorializing and judging presented with each and every chapter were heavy handed in the extreme.
The first part of the book deals with quasi-historical events. The early stories are heavily equated to Biblical tales, Arthurian legends, and Greek myths. There are lots of descriptions of military conquests which I didn't find particularly interesting, but they were readable.
As the book goes on more and more of the mythology and metaphysics of the Hawaiian people are related. Little bits of the descriptions of how Hawaiians lived before interacting with Europeans are interspersed throughout. These were fascinating to me. There are brief allusions to the class system, but all the stories are about the nobility, so there was no sense at all of how the 'commoners' lived. The position of women in society was better described, but a bit hard to really put together. There were certainly societal limits on women. The explicit limitations seem to be centered around eating, but it seems likely there were other limits as well. Noble women were free to marry several men, and to divorce. They could own property, and were occasionally monarchs. On the other hand, sometimes they were married off at the will of their fathers, and several stories centered around abusive husbands of innocent and obedient wives.
I would recommend this book more as a curiosity than as a great read.
April 5, 2010
Even though - as the introduction explains - the retelling of these legends by Hawkaiian King David Kalakaua is oriented to interest Western readers, there is much information on Hawaiian history (pre-Western influence). Very informative and entertaining.
March 18, 2008
I got this on a visit to Iolani Palace. It's fun but hard to remember characters due to the long Hawaiian names.
November 30, 2016
This is a core part of my Hawaiian (self-) studies curriculum, along with the books by Kamakau, Lili‘uokalani and Pukui. Highly recommended.
Currently reading
October 18, 2021Way too comprehensive for a casual read. As the last King of Hawaii, I think the author was focusing on being comprehensive rather than trying to pick and choose the most interesting of the stories... and with so many stories, I'm having a hard time to figure out which ones are worth keeping in the gray matter. It probably doesn't help that the names are often so similar and dates aren't always clear.
So, I'm pretty much just skimming it. If anything sticks, so be it.
So, I'm pretty much just skimming it. If anything sticks, so be it.
June 19, 2017
A fascinating compendium of tales, compiled by the second-to-last reigning monarch of Hawaii. There are many available retellings of Hawaii's extensive oral tales, which seem to exist between and across history, legend and myth, and I have no idea of the accuracy of this or other collections as written versions of oral histories and poetic chants. I do know this was one of the books I was most grateful for having read before I arrived, (along with the history/memoir written by Kalakua's successor, Queen Liliokulani). The tales prepare groundwork for understanding, not only cultural ways of seeing, but practically for place names, significance of various sites, and to understand the rich artworks that are everywhere. I found it helpful to supplement this with some other retellings, to get a sense of how the stories have many variants, and yet what stays the same.
The extensive, and patronising, introduction written in the 1970s is kinda hilarious in a way-we-were-way, but the book could really do with a more modern (and respectful) one.
The tales themselves are fun to read, and Kalakaua's commentary on them is interesting in it's own right.
The extensive, and patronising, introduction written in the 1970s is kinda hilarious in a way-we-were-way, but the book could really do with a more modern (and respectful) one.
The tales themselves are fun to read, and Kalakaua's commentary on them is interesting in it's own right.
March 17, 2018
This was a book that tells more about the history of Hawaii without including fantastic stories about their deities, the book tells us facts related to the waves of migration from Samoa and other places in Polynesia, the interaction between them and the inhabitants of the islands, his wars, his betrayals and political organization in addition to a brief look at his social organization. there are even parallels in some stories like the haleyan-style Trojan Helen. It is not a recommended lecture if you are looking for mythical stories about their gods.
May 8, 2022
I bought this before a flight to Hawaii to add some colour to the different places I'd be visiting. I found it really interesting that Big Island was only identified throughout as Hawaii and that it was the source of a lot of the myths, although I'd guess Kamehama the Great coming from there and the importance of geneology and family history.
This emphasis really reminded me of the Norse Sagas rather than myths and legends, generally where the Gods appear it's almost as if they are powerful Aliʻi (chiefs) rather than something adjoin to the Greeks.
It's interesting the links between Christian stories, genesis and noah make an appearance with a hawaiian flavour. Probably brought by the first travellers to the island. And the story of Hina captures some similarities to the Illiad which raises some questions as the author was writing for an international audience whether he is emphasising the similarities to Western tradition.
Some stories fizzle out a little, the fated long iron knife, Kings ransom, worth an island, just disappeared from history. And a few others had abrupt ends. Some parts "he sailed to the land where the sea meets the sky" or "shields were unknown, Warriors would pluck spears from the sky of deflect then with a flourish" which sounds great but the book doesn't spend a lot of time on these ideas.
Pele, the volcano Godess is the most prevalent Godess, with her caprices and furious anger. The primary characters section at the beginning of each Legend is essential for keeping track of all the characters (one legend has a dozen Ka*** characters).
There's an interesting bit that the early hawaians would create gods by carving them out of stone and hope they would bring them victory / bountiful harvest and should the new god not perform they'd smash it to pieces. This puts a different spin on Captain Cook who visited the islands a few times and accepted the benefits of being worshipped without realising his responsibilities.
There is a story at the end as the Hawaians threw off their own religion which had Tabus against women eating the same food as men, sacrifice of prisoners of war, low social mobility and other religious burdens. Whilst this made the job of the Christian missionaries much easier when they landed a few months later ita interesting to see a whole religious institution and the underlying unified faith be overthrown without many outside influences.
A great read for anyone who's interested in legend/ mythology.
This emphasis really reminded me of the Norse Sagas rather than myths and legends, generally where the Gods appear it's almost as if they are powerful Aliʻi (chiefs) rather than something adjoin to the Greeks.
It's interesting the links between Christian stories, genesis and noah make an appearance with a hawaiian flavour. Probably brought by the first travellers to the island. And the story of Hina captures some similarities to the Illiad which raises some questions as the author was writing for an international audience whether he is emphasising the similarities to Western tradition.
Some stories fizzle out a little, the fated long iron knife, Kings ransom, worth an island, just disappeared from history. And a few others had abrupt ends. Some parts "he sailed to the land where the sea meets the sky" or "shields were unknown, Warriors would pluck spears from the sky of deflect then with a flourish" which sounds great but the book doesn't spend a lot of time on these ideas.
Pele, the volcano Godess is the most prevalent Godess, with her caprices and furious anger. The primary characters section at the beginning of each Legend is essential for keeping track of all the characters (one legend has a dozen Ka*** characters).
There's an interesting bit that the early hawaians would create gods by carving them out of stone and hope they would bring them victory / bountiful harvest and should the new god not perform they'd smash it to pieces. This puts a different spin on Captain Cook who visited the islands a few times and accepted the benefits of being worshipped without realising his responsibilities.
There is a story at the end as the Hawaians threw off their own religion which had Tabus against women eating the same food as men, sacrifice of prisoners of war, low social mobility and other religious burdens. Whilst this made the job of the Christian missionaries much easier when they landed a few months later ita interesting to see a whole religious institution and the underlying unified faith be overthrown without many outside influences.
A great read for anyone who's interested in legend/ mythology.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
December 2, 2022I only had time to read the introduction, which gives an overview of Hawaii’s history, religion, and culture. It comes from a weird place where there‘s still a fairly strong cultural memory of pre-contact Hawaii (this is written only a century after Cook), but the introduction is clearly written from an American perspective—for example, a lot of the section on Hawaiian religion was talking up its similarities to Old Testament stories. The whole effect is a strange mix of describing exotic aspects of the culture while reassuring its audience that Hawaii today is far more “civilized.”
The introduction ends on a particularly melancholy note, describing how quickly native Hawaiians were dying off and predicting that before long, Hawaiian culture would be lost forever, fully subsumed by the American imperial project:
“Year by year their footprints will grow more dim along the sands of their reef-sheltered shores, and fainter and fainter will come their simple songs from the shadows of the palms, until finally their voices will be heard no more for ever. And then, if not before—and no human effort can shape it otherwise—the Hawaiian Islands, with the echoes of their songs and the sweets of their green fields, will pass into the political, as they are now firmly within the commercial, system of the great American Republic.”
The introduction ends on a particularly melancholy note, describing how quickly native Hawaiians were dying off and predicting that before long, Hawaiian culture would be lost forever, fully subsumed by the American imperial project:
“Year by year their footprints will grow more dim along the sands of their reef-sheltered shores, and fainter and fainter will come their simple songs from the shadows of the palms, until finally their voices will be heard no more for ever. And then, if not before—and no human effort can shape it otherwise—the Hawaiian Islands, with the echoes of their songs and the sweets of their green fields, will pass into the political, as they are now firmly within the commercial, system of the great American Republic.”
June 16, 2023
While the King was definitely a good writer I have to say was not a particularly good story teller. All if the stories are written in a matter of fact way with very little color added to give them life. I was also expecting to read about the tales and legends of their gods and Demi-gods but very little was related in this book. I could also be a bit confusing as characters were sometimes introduced, it seems, almost as afterthoughts. I would love to find another book of Hawaiian legends and myths with stories that engage the imagination and transport you back in time to better experience the legendary stories of Hawaiian culture.
September 2, 2023
I found this book to be interesting, informative and entertaining. I really liked the story telling style in which it was written and Mr. Markert really brought the stories to life with his narration. The legends and myths of Hawaii, I found, are so very different from all of the other mythologies and folklore that I have read about. The people are colorful and very passionate in love and in war. Their ethics were much looser than other cultures I have read about, with their inter-marrying and lack of consequences for some offences, such as murder. Gods were very tangible and even accessible at times.
March 29, 2022
Historically significant, as it was written by an eventual King of Hawaii, The Legends and Myths of Hawaii is a great way to get to know Hawaiian culture. It's a telling of their history by someone on the inside. The only issues are due to its age (published in 1888) and dry writing style of the era. But some of the stories are well-told. The story of Umi and Kulamea was very sweet and could be made into a film easily.
If you're going to visit, I'd suggest this to read; however, it's long. So it will take a while.
If you're going to visit, I'd suggest this to read; however, it's long. So it will take a while.
September 7, 2018
Bought this book on my honeymoon to Hawaii to learn the stores/myths of the Hawaii gods. Although the stories were mostly about past kings/cheifs/princesses; they were still very interesting. The names and terms can be so confusing, so you may catch yourself looking up names and terms while you are readin (definitely not an easy read). Definitely a good read if you have a big interest on the matter.
February 12, 2017
Though the title is a bit misleading, for it seems more like an account of Hawaiian history until the times of Kalakaua rather than actual myths and legends, this book is a nice complement of visits to the Iolani Palace and Bishop Museum in Honolulu. It's also a nice insight onto the rich heritage of Hawaiian culture.
January 26, 2023
I picked this up to learn more about Hawaiian culture and history. While I did learn a lot, the short stories were hit or miss. Several were very dense with too many characters and a trudge to read through.
July 22, 2017
Mythical Hawaii
With this you not only get myths and legends about Hawaii you also get information about Hawaii's history and culture.
With this you not only get myths and legends about Hawaii you also get information about Hawaii's history and culture.
March 24, 2019
This book was an interesting selection of Hawaiian folklore retold. The tone of the work is stilted and somewhat formal, so it may not be the best book to read for entertainment purposes.
July 25, 2021
Pretty cool that a historical and cultural deep dive like this was published but it ain’t a great read, in spite of how much I wanted to read it.
October 4, 2021
Often repetitive story lines, but interesting to read the myths of a culture not my own.
September 14, 2022
I really like some of the stories but aside from the ones I like it felt more like I was reading a history book. I did get pretty far into the book but I just couldn't finish though.
November 12, 2022
A nice read while on vacation in Hawaii, a lot of history and stories.
March 17, 2024
First, I was waiting for the good part. Then, I was waiting for it to end.
June 25, 2024
The stories were a mixed bag, but it was pretty cool reading it in Hawaii.
January 21, 2014
This, together with Dreams from My Father, are the best-written books I've read by heads of state -- it must be the Hawaiian air! The book was part of Kalakaua's project to restore some of his people's traditions. It is charming, a kind of Victorian Plutarch with South Pacific exoticism, but with the vanishing traditions adding a note of sadness:
"...Keaulumoku's white head and bent form were seen in the opening. Seating himself within view of all he began to chant a mele in tremulous tones. As he proceeded his voice became louder, and every word was breathlessly listened to. He spoke of the coming conquest of the group by Kamehameha, whom he designated as the son of Kahekili, and also as 'the lone one.' He also predicted the early extinction of the Kamehameha dynasty, the domination of the white race, the destruction of the temples, and finally the gradual death of the Hawaiian people. Concluding his chant, the old seer raised his hands as if to bless his listeners, and fell back dead. A great wail went up from the people, and they tenderly bore the body of the dead poet to the heiau where it was accorded the burial rites of a prophet." (p. 365)
"...Keaulumoku's white head and bent form were seen in the opening. Seating himself within view of all he began to chant a mele in tremulous tones. As he proceeded his voice became louder, and every word was breathlessly listened to. He spoke of the coming conquest of the group by Kamehameha, whom he designated as the son of Kahekili, and also as 'the lone one.' He also predicted the early extinction of the Kamehameha dynasty, the domination of the white race, the destruction of the temples, and finally the gradual death of the Hawaiian people. Concluding his chant, the old seer raised his hands as if to bless his listeners, and fell back dead. A great wail went up from the people, and they tenderly bore the body of the dead poet to the heiau where it was accorded the burial rites of a prophet." (p. 365)
July 7, 2015
Excellent. A must read for kamaaina & makihini
We have established a social second home in Hawaii. Being in North Kohala, on the Big Island, the history and legends run deep. Even without this connection this is an excellent book. A must read for any resident or visitor to Hawaii. It reads quickly & like a story book not a history book. It's as if "uncle" sat down to tell you the legends of our island home. An excellent read.
We have established a social second home in Hawaii. Being in North Kohala, on the Big Island, the history and legends run deep. Even without this connection this is an excellent book. A must read for any resident or visitor to Hawaii. It reads quickly & like a story book not a history book. It's as if "uncle" sat down to tell you the legends of our island home. An excellent read.
Currently reading
July 13, 2009I am learning lots of things I did not know.
March 5, 2010
I've been reading a bunch of books of Hawaiian myths, and most are gibberish. This one is clear and well-written.
October 16, 2010
A book written by the Hawaiian king himself, Kalakaua does justice to the former beliefs of his people and never belittles them as superstitions.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews