Manu-kura was a famous warrior in the
Tuamotuan version of the
Rata cycle of
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 ...
. His home was in 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 ...
.
He married
Pupura-to-te-tai, the daughter of
Puna, king of the
Underworld
The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld.
...
. When Rata met him, they had a contest of
magic
Magic or magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
** ''Magick'' (with ''-ck'') can specifically refer to ceremonial magic
* Magic (illusion), also known as sta ...
girdles that Rata won, claiming Pupura as his prize. He took her to his home, where she stayed while he continued his quest to avenge his father.
References
*R.D. Craig, ''Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology'' (Greenwood Press: New York, 1989), 156;
*J.F. Stimson, ''Tuamotuan Legends: Island of Anaa'' (Honolulu: Bernice P. Bishop Museum Press, 1937), 126–129.
Tuamotu mythology
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