VOLCANO MYTHS AND LEGENDSBy: Ani Dime

THE MYTH OF PELE THE HAWAIIAN VOLCANOES GODDESS Pele had to leave town in a hurry--her angry sister (a Tahitian sea goddess) was gunning for her. (Some say it was on account of Pele's fun-and-games that involved her brother-in-law.) With the angry sea goddess threatening to drown Pele with tidal waves, Pele's parents loaded her, her brothers and her sisters into a canoe and sent them sailing in search of safety.Eventually the siblings found a place where they could stop, a tiny string of islands that was home to a handful of human tribes and a few snow goddesses who lived in the mountains.Pele set about trying to make a new home for her family, but it was proving difficult because the jealous snow goddesses kept sending blizzards her way. Hopping from one tiny island to another to escape the hard freezes, Pele kept moving southward only to encounter tidal waves sent by her vengeful sister.Soon the two were waging a ferocious battle. Though she won, Pele did not emerge unscathed.Pele’s fires rose up out of the trembling earth, spewing rivers of lava fiery lava into the ocean, driving the sea away from the coast. As the lava cooled it added to the land mass, and the small atoll was transformed into the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii.After her death, she became a spirit and chose to live within the crater of a volcano; she had become a shape-shifter, one who could assume any form she wished. 

ANALYSIS OF THE MYTH There are new myths which say that when you take rocks from the

volcanoes, Pele will send bad luck to you until you return them. The myths could have been to help people obey the law better

because it is against the law for people to take rocks from the volcanoes.

There was another myth that Pele was supposed to be the water goddess but when she was a kid she was found playing with matches a lot and was made the goddess of the fire. This could be a lesson to younger children to always follow your heart and do what you love.

The myth of Pele also probably used to give the islanders a sense of what the volcano was doing when it erupted, before they had the technology to know what a volcano was or what it was doing when it erupted.

The legend of Pele could also be used to teach the island students about being kind to one another.

THE HAWAIIAN VOLCANOES- KILAUEA Kilauea is the most active volcano on earth It is located on the south side of Hawaii islands Kilauea is just under 4,200 feet tall Kilauea is the home to Pele It is a shield volcano 23000 years is oldest age of the rock Last erupted on January 3 1983

HOW SHIELD VOLCANOES ERUPT On Hawaii the shield volcanoes are known as shield volcanoes

because the shape looks like a ancient warrior’s shield. Shield volcanoes dont usually erupt explosively They usually just pour out large volumes of lava The Hawaiian eruptions are rarely life threatening because the

lava moves slowly so people have time to evacuate. But they can have big eruptions For example the eruption from Kilauea in 1983 destroyed more

then 200 structures and wrecked many towns.

PELE LEGENDS Hawaiian legends say that eruptions

are caused by Pele, the goddess of volcanoes, when she is angry

She could cause earthquakes by stomping her feet

She could cause volcanic eruptions by digging with her magic stick (Pa’oe)

It is said that an argument between Pele and her older sister created the chain of volcanoes that form the island

Described as “She Who Shapes the Sacred Land”

Link to video on Pele http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/understanding-volcanoes-pele-goddess-of-fire.html

OTHER HAWAIIAN VOLCANOES Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on our planet One of earths more active volcanoes Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times The oldest rocks are dated between 100,000

and 200,000 years old Mauna Loa means ‘Long Mountain’

Taken January 10, 1985

PHOTOS OF PELE AND THE HAWAIIAN VOLCANOES

BIBLIOGRAPHY   Crystal links, C. L. Volcanoes and Mythology. 31/10/11, from

http://www.crystalinks.com/volcanomyth.html The Goddess Pele. 31/10/11, from

http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/goddess-pele.htm

Betty Fullard-Leo, B. F. L. Pele Goddess of Fire. 31/10/11, from http://coffeetimes.com/pele.htm

Science for a Changing World, USGS. Mauna Loa Earths Largest Volcano. 31/10/11, from http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/maunaloa/

Lyn Topinka, L. T. Shield Volcanoes. 31/10/11, from http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/ShieldVolcano/description_shield_volcano.html