Legends & Myths of Hawaii

The Legends and Myths of Hawaii, first published in 1888 under the authorship of His Hawaiian Majesty Kalakaua, has been widely acknowledged as one of the first and most significant collections of native Hawaiian folklore to have reached an international audience during the last century. Drawing upon his intimate knowledge of the oral traditions of his ancestors, King Kalakaua has woven a bright Hawaiian tapestry of romantic legends, mythical heroes, and historical events that remains as dramatic, readable and informative today as it was when first published over a hundred years ago.

The Hawaiian folklore presented in this historic work captures the older Polynesian worldview that had united the sacred and profane in all aspects of spiritual, natural or human endeavor. It speaks to an ancient time when gods and goddesses mingled freely with their earthly counterparts and when the living and the dead spoke together freely of the seen and unseen marvels of earth, ocean, volcano and air.