Anonymous
×
Create a new article
Write your page title here:
We currently have 2,416 articles on Monstropedia. Type your article name above or click on one of the titles below and start writing!



Monstropedia
2,416Articles

Taniwha are mythical water creatures from Maori legend, that act as guardian or protector of holy places.

Ureia, guardian taniwha of the Hauraki people. Carving from the meeting house Hotunui, 1878

Etymology

The word taniwha has been reconstructed to Proto-Oceanic *tanifa, with the meaning 'species of shark'. The Maori name for the Great white shark is Mango-taniwha. In Tongan and Niuean, tenifa refers to a large dangerous shark, as does the Samoan tanifa; the Tokelauan tanifa is a sea-monster that eats people. In most other Polynesian languages, the cognate words refer to sharks or simply fish (Pollex).


Description

At sea, taniwha often appear as a whale or a large shark; In inland waters, they may still be of whale-like dimensions, but look more like a gecko or a tuatara, having a row of spines along the back. Other taniwha appear as a floating log, which behaves in a disconcerting way (Orbell 1998:149-150, Reed 1963:297). One Maori legend mentions taniwha, in the form of wheke (octopus).


Place

Taniwha live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers. Some can tunnel through the earth, uprooting trees in the process. Certain taniwha are credited with creating harbours by carving out a channel to the ocean. Wellington's harbour, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, was reputedly carved out by two taniwha; the petrified remains of one of them turned into a hill overlooking the city. Other taniwha are said to have caused landslides beside lakes or rivers. "Waikato taniwha rau" Is also said to be one hundred bends on the Waikato River and on each of these bends is a home of a Taniwha.


Origin

  • Many taniwha moved from Hawaiki to New Zealand as guardians of a particular ancestral canoe and took on a protective role over the descendants of the crew of the canoe they had accompanied.
  • Sometimes, a person who had dealings with taniwha during their lifetime might turn into a taniwha after they died. This happened to Te Tahi-o-te-rangi, who had been a medium for the taniwha, and had been rescued at one time by one of the creatures. Tuheita, an early ancestor who drowned, became a taniwha despite the fact that he had no prior dealings with the mythical beasts. Sometimes relationships are formed between humans and taniwha. Hine-korako was a female taniwha who married a human man, and Pania was a woman from the sea who married a human and gave birth to a taniwha (Orbell 1998:150).


Behavior

  • As guardian spirits of tribal groups, taniwha were especially dangerous to people that do not belong to the tribe they protected. There are many legends of battles with taniwha, both on land and at sea. Often these conflicts took place soon after the settlement of New Zealand, generally after a taniwha had attacked and eaten a person from a tribe that it had no connection with.
  • When taniwha were accorded the appropriate respect, they usually acted well towards their people. Taniwha acted as guardians by warning of the approach of enemies, communicating the information via a priest who was a medium; sometimes the taniwha saved people from drowning. Because they lived in dangerous or dark and gloomy places, the people were careful to placate the taniwha with appropriate offerings if they needed to be in the vicinity or to pass by its lair. These offerings were often of a green twig, accompanied by a fitting incantation. In harvest time, the first kumara (sweet potato) or the first taro was often presented to the taniwha (Orbell 1998:149-150). In their role as guardians, taniwha were vigilant to ensure that the people respected the restrictions imposed by tapu. They made certain that any violations of tapu were punished.


Story

When Hotu-puku, a taniwha of the Rotorua district, was finally killed, his stomach was cut open to reveal a number of bodies of men, women, and children, whole and still undigested, as well as various body parts. The taniwha had swallowed all that his victims had been carrying, for his stomach also contained weapons of various kinds, darts, greenstone ornaments, shark's teeth, flax clothing, and an assortment of fur and feather cloaks of the highest quality (Orbell 1998:149-150, Reed 1963:299).