Samoan culture tells stories of many different deities. There were deities of the forest, the seas, rain, harvest, villages, and war. There were two types of deities, ''atua'', who had non-human origins, and ''aitu'', who were of human origin.

Tagaloa In Samoan mythology, Tagaloa (also known as Tagaloa-Lagi or Tagaloa, Lagi of the Heavens/Skies) is generally accepted as the supreme ruler,

was a supreme god who made the islands and the people. Mafuiʻe was the god of earthquakes. There were also a number of war deities.

Nafanua Nafanua was a historical ''ali'i'' (chief/queen) and ''toa'' (warrior) of Samoa from the Sā Tonumaipe'ā clan, who took four ''pāpā'' (district) titles, the leading ali'i titles of Samoa. After her death she became a goddess in Polynesian reli ...

, Samoa's warrior goddess hails from the village of

Falealupo Falealupo is a village in Samoa situated at the west end of Savai'i island from the International Date Line used until 29 December 2011. The village has two main settlements, Falealupo-Uta, situated inland by the main island highway and Falealu ...

at the western end of Savai'i island, which is also the site of the entry into

Pulotu Pulotu is the resting place of those passed on in the Polynesian narrative of Tonga and Samoa, the world of darkness "lalo fonua" (as opposed to the human world of light). Tonga In the Tongan narrative, Pulotu is presided over by Havea Hikule� ...

, the spirit world. She also is regarded as a peace bringer, having brought peace to Savai'i through winning the wars between the two regions of the island.

Tilafaiga According to a legend in Samoan mythology Tilafaiga was one of the twin sisters who brought the art of '' tatau'' (Samoan tattoo) to Samoa from Fitiuta in Manu’a. Tilafaiga's twin sister's name is Taema. Tilafaiga and Taema can also be referred ...

is the mother of Nafanua. Nafanua's father, Saveasi'uleo, was the god of Pulotu. Another well-known legend tells of two sisters, Tilafaiga, the mother of Nafanua, and

Taema Taema is the name of a female figure referred to in different legends in Samoan mythology.
Samoa ...

, bringing the art of tattooing to Samoa from Fiti. A figure of another legend is

Tui Fiti Tui Fiti or Tuifiti is the name of a figure referred to in different legends in Samoan mythology and in other parts of Polynesia. In other stories, "Tui Fiti" means "high chief of Fiti." Savai'i On the island of Savai'i in Samoa, a spirit deity ca ...

, who resides at

Fagamalo Fagamalo is a village situated on the central north coast of Savai'i in Samoa. It is a sub-village or ''pito nu'u'' of the larger traditional village enclave of Matautu in the political district of Gaga'emauga. The population of the village is 3 ...

village in the village district of

Matautu Matautu is the name of different villages in Samoa. Places named Matautu are found on the two largest islands, Upolu and Savaiʻi. Matautu, Upolu Island On Upolu island; *Matautu, a village located on the central north coast of the island to th ...

. The village of

Falelima Falelima is a village on the southwest corner of Savai'i island in Samoa. The village is part of the electoral constituency (''Faipule District'') Alataua West which forms part of the larger political district of Vaisigano. The village's populati ...

is associated with a dreaded spirit deity called, ''Nifoloa''. The Mata o le Alelo 'Eyes of the Demon' freshwater pool from the Polynesian legend

Sina and the Eel Sina and the Eel is a myth of origins in Samoan mythology, which explains the origins of the first coconut tree. In the Samoan language the legend is called ''Sina ma le Tuna.'' ''Tuna'' is the Samoan word for 'eel'. The story is also well kno ...

is situated in the village of Matavai on the northern coast in the village district of

Safune Safune is a traditional village district on the central north coast of Savai'i island in Samoa. It lies within the electoral constituency of Gaga'ifomauga. Safune is the birthplace of Mau leader Olaf Frederick Nelson and the filming location o ...

. Fetu ("star") is the god of the night. His wife is Ele'ele. Samoan mythology is a variant of a more general

Polynesian mythology The Polynesian narrative or Polynesian mythology encompasses the oral traditions of the people of Polynesia (a grouping of Central and South Pacific Ocean island archipelagos in the Polynesian Triangle) together with those of the scattered cul ...

in the

Samoa Islands The Samoan Islands ( sm, Motu o Sāmoa) are an archipelago covering in the central South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and of the wider region of Oceania. Administratively, the archipelago comprises all of the Independent State of Samoa ...

Prominent entries on Samoan mythology

* Afa *

Atonga In Polynesian mythology (specifically: Samoa), Atonga is a culture hero, half-mortal and half-spirit. He built the first canoe on Savaii with his brothers Olokeu and Olo-i-nano, then had it transported to Upolu Upolu is an island in Samoa, f ...

Atu Atu may refer to: * Atu, a character in Samoan mythology * Atu Bosenavulagi, an Australian rules footballer * Atu, Iran, a village in Iran * Atu Moli, New Zealand rugby union player * Atu'u is a village on Tutuila Island, American Samoa ATU may re ...

* Faʻatiu * Fisaga * Ila * Losi * Mafuiʻe *

Moso's Footprint According to myth, Moso's Footprint in Samoa was made when the giant Moso stepped over to Fiji from Samoa, and the other footprint can be found on Viti Levu of Fiji. It is a 2m long depression in basalt. See also * Petrosomatoglyph A petrosomat ...

Sava The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...

Savali In Polynesian mythology (Samoa), Savali is the messenger of Tagaloa. This name was given to the Samoan-language official gazette launched by the Administration of German Samoa German Samoa (german: Deutsch-Samoa) was a German protectorate from ...

Saveasiʻuleo Saveasiuleo is the God of Pulotu (Old concept of Heaven) the underworld of spirits or ''Hades'' in Samoan mythology. He is the father of Nafanua the Goddess of War in Samoa. Nafanua's mother is Tilafaiga, the sister of Taema another figure of Samo ...

Taema Taema is the name of a female figure referred to in different legends in Samoan mythology.
Samoa ...

Tagaloa In Samoan mythology, Tagaloa (also known as Tagaloa-Lagi or Tagaloa, Lagi of the Heavens/Skies) is generally accepted as the supreme ruler,

* Tinirau#In Samoa, Tinilau * Tiʻitiʻi *

Upolu Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long and in area, making it the second largest of the Samoan Islands by area. With approximate ...

References

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