Crash Course Mythology: Maui’s Seven Great Deeds
Presenter: Mike Rugnetta
Overview
Focus on the story of Maui, the demigod hero of Oceania.
Compared to popular culture version in Moana, the legendary Maui is younger, more lithe, and a bit smarter.
Maui's myths are central to Pacific Islander culture with a blend of heroic deeds and explanatory tales.
Unlike Heracles, Maui's deeds are varied and not a single heroic project but episodic.
Maui’s Seven Great Deeds
1. Fighting His Mom’s House
Characters: Hina of the Fire, Maui the Skillful.
Story: Hina gives birth to a fifth son, Maui, and sets him adrift at sea. The sea god saves him, and Maui proves his worth by defeating the house's doorposts with spears.
2. Raising the Sky
Issue: Sky was too low.
Solution: Maui drinks a mysterious potion and uses magic to lift the sky, learning about weather and travel.
3. Fishing for New Zealand
Challenge: Prove he’s not lazy.
Action: Uses a magical fish hook made from an ancestor’s jawbone to pull up the island of New Zealand.
4. Slowing the Sun
Problem: Sun moves too fast.
Strategy: Sets 16 traps for the Sun’s legs and uses a magic axe to force it to move slower, benefitting the people by increasing daylight hours.
5. Winning Fire for Humanity
Goal: Acquire the secret of fire.
Method: Makes several attempts, finally succeeds by learning to rub together the bark of certain trees from the Alae birds.
6. Killing Kunaloa the Eel
Issue: Eel terrorizing Hina.
Result: Kills it, explaining the origin of fish and eels in the Pacific.
7. Attempting to Gain Immortality
Intent: Gain immortality for himself and humanity.
Plan: Steal the heart of the goblin goddess Hina-Nui-Ke-Po.
Outcome: Fails, as a bird makes noise, causing Maui’s death; serves as a lesson about the nature of mortality.
Conclusion
Maui shares traits with Heracles: heroic yet fallible, both capable and clumsy.
Study of mythology reveals more about culture and shared stories than fiction created by individual writers.
Mythological stories offer insight into human nature and cultural values beyond mere entertainment.