Atanua (or Atanea) in

Polynesian mythology 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 cultures known as the Polyne ...

(specifically: the

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands ( ; or ' or ' ; Marquesan language, Marquesan: ' (North Marquesan language, North Marquesan) and ' (South Marquesan language, South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcano, volcanic islands in ...

) is the

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...

of the

dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...

and wife of

Atea Atea is a deity in several Polynesian cultures, including the Marquesas and Tuamotu Islands, and New Zealand. Marquesas Islands In the mythology of the Marquesas Islands, Atea is the giver of light. In one legend Atea and Tāne are brothers, t ...

(Atea and Atanua emerged from Tanaoa, Atea first, who then made space for Atanua). Their son is the first man, Tu-Mea. She created the seas after having a

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can fetal viability, survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks ...

and filling the

ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...

s with her

amniotic fluid The amniotic fluid is the protective liquid contained by the amniotic sac of a gravid amniote. This fluid serves as a cushion for the growing fetus, but also serves to facilitate the exchange of nutrients, water, and biochemical products betwee ...

. E. R. Tregear, ''Māori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary'' (

Lyon and Blair John Rutherfurd Blair (8 February 1843 – 25 November 1914) was the Mayor of Wellington, New Zealand from 1897 to 1899. Biography Blair was born in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland, and was a paper merchant. His career started with a large Glasg ...

: Lambton Quay), 1891.

Notes

Dawn Marquesan mythology Origin myths Polynesian goddesses Solar goddesses {{Oceania-myth-stub