Accounts vary by island. In a Marquesan tradition (as summarized by Tregear 1891) Atea "evolved himself" and brought forth Ono; Atea and Ono campaigned against night-forces (Tanaoa and Mutu-hei) and from that struggle came Atanua (dawn), whom Atea then took as spouse and by whom lesser gods and humankind were born. In a Tuamotu version (as summarized in the cited notes) Atea is the father of sons including Tahu and Tāne; after a sequence of famine, death, sex-reversal and conflict, Tāne kills Atea. Ratzel's reported account of New Zealand/Māori belief (as cited in the sources) presents Atea as "the universe" which floated in space and was divided by sex into Rangi and Papa (Heaven and Earth) — one recorded formulation rather than a universal Māori consensus.
The cited sources do not supply a consistent anthropomorphic description for Atea. Across the Marquesas, Tuamotu, and the Ratzel report for Māori thought, Atea is framed conceptually as a giver of light, a primordial actor, or as the universe itself rather than described in bodily detail. Some versions situate Atea in family relations (e.g., brother to Tāne in one Marquesan account; husband to Atanua in the Marquesas variant) or as cosmic substance (Ratzel's report of Atea as the universe), but no steady physical depiction is provided in the cited summaries.
In the Marquesas account (Tregear 1891 summarised), Atea is explicitly the "giver of light," is said to have evolved himself and to have brought forth Ono, and with Ono made war on Tanaoa (lord of darkness) and Mutu-hei (silence), defeating them and confining gods of night within boundaries. The same Marquesan sequence produces Atanua (dawn) and a lineage of lesser gods and humans. Ratzel's reported Māori account attributes cosmogenic scope to Atea by identifying Atea with the universe that is then divided into Rangi and Papa. In the Tuamotu narrative Atea functions as a progenitor whose household drama and conflict lead to his death at the hands of his son Tāne, showing that in some variants Atea can be overcome in divine succession narratives.
Weaknesses
- conditionSlain by progeny (Tuamotu tradition)
- conditionSubject to defeat in cosmic war (Marquesas narrative shows Atea as combatant who could be engaged by other divine actors)
Wards
None recorded.
Atanua
Atanua is the Marquesan (Polynesian) goddess of the dawn who, in local cosmogony, is the consort of Atea and mother of the first man; she is also credited in the surviving summary accounts with creating the seas as the result of a miscarriage.
Avatea
Avatea (also spelled Vatea in some sources) is a primordial parent figure in Mangaian (Cook Islands) mythology, described as a lunar deity and god of light whose eyes were thought to be the Sun and the Moon, and who is called the father of gods and men in the island's origin narrative.
Aitu (Māori)
Malevolent spirits in Māori tradition, often taking the form of plants or animals and associated with trouble-making and mischief. (Note: - Power tier should be Greater, not Lesser (Aitu being lesser gods in some cultures, but also associated with deity-level abilities) - Abilities: Add detail about their role as patrons of specific vil)
Aiwohikupua
Aiwohikupua is a personal name attested once in the supplied corpus of collected Hawaiian-language narrative material. The available sources provide only a short fragmentary occurrence of the name and no corroborating description, role, or attributes.
Akava'ine
Akava'ine is a Cook Islands Māori social and gender category for people assigned male at birth who live or present as women or otherwise occupy a gender-variant/transgender role. The term (Cook Islands Māori) literally means "to behave as a woman" and has both historical ethnographic mentions of gender-variant individuals in the Cook Islands and a contemporary use (since the 2000s) among Cook Islands Māori, including diaspora communities.
Akua
Akua is the Hawaiian common noun for a god, deity, or divine being; in the provided sources it functions as a lexical category applied to indigenous Hawaiian deities and as the translation-term for the Christian God in Hawaiian-language liturgy and scripture.
Aotea (Canoe)
Ancestral waka in Māori tradition, significant in the migration of the Māori people to New Zealand. (Note: - Power tier should be at least Greater (deity-level), considering Aotea is associated with significant spiritual and cultural importance to the Māori people's migration. - Abilities should include de)
Aotearoa (Canoe)
An ancestral vessel in Māori tradition, associated with the migration and settlement of New Zealand. (Note: 1. Power tier should be Ancient, not Primordial. 2. Remove "Historical significance" from sensory cues as it is a general statement rather than a specific cue. 3. Add "Its presence is often associated)
Apakura
Female figure in Māori mythology, wife of Tūhuruhuru and/or Tūwhakararo, associated with multiple generations of whānau. (Note: 1. Power tier: Given her association with multiple generations of whānau and the miraculous birth story involving Whakatau, it's likely she should be classified as a Greater entity. 2. Abilities: Add )
Arahura (Māori canoe)
Divine Māori canoe made of pounamu, associated with the Ngāi Tahu tribe and spiritual significance. (Note: * Power tier: Not specified, assume Lower or Lesser as it's associated with the tribe and not described as a deity-level being * Abilities: Remove the mention of spiritual significance and connection )
Arautauta
The Arautauta is a significant waka (canoe) in Māori tradition, playing a key role in the migration of people to New Zealand. (Note: - Power tier: Should be Primordial (as it's a significant waka in Māori tradition) - Abilities: Should mention its use for transporting people and goods as a notable aspect of its significance - Appea)
Arawa (canoe)
In Māori tradition, the Arawa is a supernatural canoe representing the ancestors' journey to New Zealand. (Note: * Power tier: Primordial (or not specified at all, as there's no indication of supernatural powers beyond its symbolic and cultural significance) * Appearance: No physical description mentioned in sou)
Ascalapha odorata (Hawaiian)
A nocturnal moth associated with death or misfortune in Hawaiian tradition, possibly tied to Central and South American folklore. (Note: - Summary should note that Ascalapha odorata's association with death/misfortune is found in Central and South American folklore, not explicitly mentioned in Hawaiian tradition. - Power tier: Primordi)
Atanua
Atanua is the Marquesan (Polynesian) goddess of the dawn who, in local cosmogony, is the consort of Atea and mother of the first man; she is also credited in the surviving summary accounts with creating the seas as the result of a miscarriage.
Community Record
- [1]Atea — Wikipedia (summary of traditions). Wikipedia entry 'Atea' summarising Marquesas, Tuamotu, and New Zealand variants (including Tregear 1891 and Ratzel paraphrase)wiki
- [2]Wikidata: Atea. Wikidata item for Atea (identifier Q24016488) referenced in the collected noteswiki
- [3]Ratzel, cited in secondary summary (New Zealand/Māori account). Ratzel as quoted in the cited summaries: 'Atea, the universe, floated in space, divided by the difference of sex into Rangi and Papa, Heaven and Earth...' (as reported in the provided notes)other
- [4]Tregear 1891 (Marquesas summary as recorded in secondary sources). Tregear 1891:29 — summary quoted in the provided notes describing the Marquesas sequence: Atea evolved, brought forth Ono, made war on Tanaoa and Mutu-hei, produced Atanua, and married Atanua producing lesser gods and humankind.other