Tangaroa – Polynesian God Of Ocean And Fish In Constant Struggle With His Brother

A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com - At first, there was nothing but chaos enveloped in a great egg of silence. Then, Papa (Papatuanuku) - Mother Earth, and Rangi (Ranginui) - Father Sky - suddenly appeared, ad everything started in a beautiful way.

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They loved each other and populated the earth with life. After many thousands of years, suns and planets emerged from their bodies, and six immortal children:

Tangaroa, the firstborn, the god of the seas, the oceans and fish of every kind; Tumatauenga, the god of winds, thunder, and storms; Tawhirimatea, the god of winds, thunder, and storms; Tane, the god of birds, moors, forests, and insects, which inhabit them; Rongo, the god of seasons, natural food, sweet potato, peace, and all vegetables cultivated as food; Haumia-Tiketike, the god of agriculture, fern root, and all kinds of food, which grow wild.

Due to the forcible separation from their parents Papa and Rangi, the siblings could not live in peace and they want to get rid of their parents. They were jealous of the love, Heaven and Earth had for each other, and could not accept that ‘Mother Earth and Father Sky existed dedicated exclusively to themselves, while their children remained locked up. It was intolerable to them, they wanted to go out and live.’

'Only one [Tawhirimatea, the god of winds, storms, and thunder ] objected. And that disagreement with his brothers gave way to a bitter dispute, and, after all, a fierce and endless struggle... All this perpetual conflict arose from the sore that jealousy produces in hearts, even in divine hearts.' ¹

Today we present Tangaroa, one of the great divinities in the region of the central and southern Pacific Ocean. In the Maori and other branches of Polynesian mythology, Tangaroa is the god of the sea and fish, and one of the offspring of Papa and Rangi.

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With his brother Tane, Tangaroa was the one who made sure that the Earth was populated with living beings.

However, Tangaroa's importance within Polynesian cosmology varies from one archipelago to another, and this god has a different status in different parts of Oceania. Even his deeds and the stories of his life vary.

One legend says the Earth goddess Papa had so much water within her that she finally burst forth and formed the planet’s oceans. The god Tangaroa appeared as a gigantic fish that created all the sea creatures. Even some believe humans originate from the fish but lost their fish-like appearance. Tangaroa often transforms into a green lizard, that symbolizes fine weather, and breathes once in a day because he is so large, explaining the tides. After being attacked by his brother, Tawhirimatea, he had to hide in the sea.

In Tahiti, which is the largest island in French Polynesia, he traditionally holds the status of Supreme Creator God, and it means the highest rank a deity can get in the pantheon, particularly because he has neither father nor mother. Meanwhile, in other places, he is simply A’a and has many names and attributes depending on the culture.

Among people in western Polynesia (Samoa, Tonga), Tangaroa - sometimes depicted as a whale - is considered one of the oldest deities. The Samoan equivalent of Tangaroa is Tagaloa, in Tahiti, it is called Ta'aroa, and in Hawaii, he is called Kanaloa, and depicted in the form of a squid (he'e). Most of the people in the archipelagos of Oceania, feel devotion, and fear for him.

Some legends place Tane and Tangaroa as the good and evil wishers of mankind, and it was also believed that the curse of Tangaroa, for instance, introduced death into the world.

Heated Disagreement Between Tangaroa And Tane

The Maori tradition confirms this powerful god remains in constant struggle with his brother - Tane. The Maori also say that the antagonism between Tangaroa and Tane, father of the forests, dates from the time of the conflict with Tawhiri-ma-tea, the god of winds, thunder, and storms.

The heated disagreement between Tangaroa and Tane is an indication that the Maori thought of the ocean and the land as two opposite realms. Both sea expeditions and fishing were believed to be incursions into foreign territory. Therefore, it was very important to make necessary offerings to Tangaroa - a fierce adversary of Tana - before any such expedition. This meant that when people go out to sea to fish or travel, they were in fact entering Tana’s Kingdom.

The Maori say that Tangaroa's son, Punga, has two children, Ikatere, the ancestor of fish, and Tu-te-wehiwehi (or Tu-te-wanawana), the ancestor of reptiles. The fish seek shelter in the sea, and the reptiles in the forests when they were terrified by Tawhirimatea. Tangaroa was furious that some of his children deserted him, and, being sheltered and protected by Tane, and ever since, Tangaroa has held a grudge with his brother because he was the one who offered this kind of refuge. The fight could never end because, in return, Tane has waged war against him, too.

Written by – A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

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