In
Samoan mythology 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.
Taga ...
, Tagaloa (also known as Tagaloa-Lagi or Tagaloa, Lagi of the Heavens/Skies) is generally accepted as the supreme ruler,
Journal of Pacific History, Vol. 33, Mo.2, J998 the creator of the universe, the chief of all gods and the progenitor of other gods. Tagaloa Lagi dwelt in space and made the Heavens the sky, the land, the seas, the fresh water, the trees and the people. Samoans believed Tagaloa created nine heavens.
Tagaloa's role as paramount deity in the Samoa pantheon bears similarities to the position of
Ta'aroa
Ta'aroa is the supreme creator god in the mythology of the Society Islands of French Polynesia. While the use of the ʻeta is appropriate given the pronunciation of his name, as is typically the case with Tahitian words it is often omitted in pr ...
in Tahiti and
Io Matua Kore
Io Matua Kore is often understood as the supreme being in Polynesian narrative, particularly of the Māori people.
Io does seem to be present in the mythologies of other Polynesian islands including Hawai‘i, the Society Islands, and the Coo ...
in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The arrival of missionaries and Christianity in Samoa from 1830 saw the Samoan Lagi gods like Tagaloa replaced by the Christian deity.
Tagaloa in mythology
Tagaloa features in many of Samoa's myths and legends.
* Tagaloa rolled stones from heaven. One became the island
Savai'i and the other stone became the island of
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 approxi ...
.
Legends of Maui by W. D. Westervelt, p.25
* One legend tells that Tagaloa had two children, a son Moa and a daughter Lu. Tagaloa's daughter Lu had a son, also called Lu. Young Lu argued with his uncle Moa and fled to earth which he called Samoa.
Dictionary of Polynesian mythology by Robert D. Craig, p. 28
* Tagaloa is the father of gods
Lagi (mythology), Lagi
* Tagaloa is a sun god whose son Alo'alo married Sina, the daughter of Tuifiti. There is a legend about a figure called
Tui Fiti in the village of
Fagamalo on the island of Savai'i.
* In
Manu'a, Tagaloa sent a vine to earth that resulted in maggots which became human beings.
* Tagaloa brought a war god called Fe'e (octopus) to Manu'a
* In
Samoan architecture, Tagaloa also features in a story which explains why Samoan houses are round.
See also
*
Io Matua Kore
Io Matua Kore is often understood as the supreme being in Polynesian narrative, particularly of the Māori people.
Io does seem to be present in the mythologies of other Polynesian islands including Hawai‘i, the Society Islands, and the Coo ...
paramount deity in New Zealand Māori mythology
*
Ta{{okinaaroa paramount deity in Tahitian mythology
*
Tangaloa
Tangaloa was an important family of gods in Tongan mythology. The first Tangaloa was the cousin of Havea Hikuleo and Maui, or in some sources the brother or son or father of them. He was Tangaloa Eiki (''T. lord''), and was assigned by his father, ...
Tongan mythology
*
Tangaroa
Tangaroa (Takaroa in the South Island) is the great of the sea, lakes, rivers, and creatures that live within them, especially fish, in Māori mythology. As Tangaroa-whakamau-tai he exercises control over the tides. He is sometimes depicted a ...
New Zealand Maori mythology
*
Kanaloa
In the traditions of ancient Hawaii, Kanaloa is a god symbolized by the squid or by the octopus, and is typically associated with Kāne. It is also an alternative name for the island of Kahoolawe.
In legends and chants, Kāne and Kanaloa are p ...
Hawaii mythology
References
Samoan deities
Polynesian deities
Creator gods