Artist's depiction of the Sun god, Maui.
Click on image for full size
Windows to the Universe original image
Maui
Maui was a hero of Polynesian mythology. For Maui and his mother the days were
too short. Maui wanted his mother to have more daylight to make bark cloth.
He thought that if the
Sun were moving slower across the sky, there would
be more hours of light in one day.
So, Maui cut off the sacred tresses of his
wife, Hina, to make a rope that would not burn in the Sun. With his rope he
caught the Sun as it was rising and beat it with the magic jawbone of his
grandmother.
The Sun was so weak after the beating that it could not run but only
creep along its course. In this way, sunlight lasted longer, and it was possible to work more during the day.
Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!
Our
online store includes
issues of NESTA's quarterly journal, The Earth Scientist, full of classroom activities on different topics in Earth and space science, as well as
books on science education!
You might also be interested in:
Ahsonnutli was the sky father and chief god of the Navajo. He created heaven, Earth, and the sky. The four main directions are believed to be supported by giants. Each direction has a specific color: white-east;
...more
In Roman and Greek mythology, Amphitrite was a beautiful sea nymph. Poseidon (Neptune), who was the god of the sea and earthquakes, fell in love with her at first sight. Amphitrite did not respond to his
...more
Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty. She was known to the Romans as Venus. To the perfection of her figure and the purity of her features she added an innocent grace. On her sweet face she
...more
In Greek mythology, Apollo was the son of Jupiter(in Greek Zeus) and Leto (Letona). He was the god of the Sun, logic, and reason, and was also a fine musician and healer. He was known as the god who could
...more
According to an ancient Greek legend, the figure of a gigantic crab was placed in the nighttime sky by the goddess Hera to form the constellation Cancer. Hera swore to kill Heracles, the most famous Greek
...more
In the Northern Hemisphere sky is the constellation Cepheus, king of Ethiopia. His wife was Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia claimed that she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than the sea nymphs, the
...more
In Navajo mythology, the Milky Way was created by the mischievous god, Coyote. Coyote was very impatient when the Holy People decided to place the stars in the sky. In his anger, he chose to place a red
...more
