Maui

Maui's History

Maui is widely known and revered throughout the island-nations of the Pacific Ocean as a hero and a trickster without equal. His legend stretches from Hawai'i to Tonga. The youngest of four divine brothers, Maui is known as Maui the Clever or sometimes Maui the Mischievous, depending on what he's up to at the time. But regardless of what he is called, and what tricks he might pull, it will always be to the benefit of his people.

His feats of strength and cunning are legendary. Armed with his magical hook Manaiakalani, he fished up the islands that people would come to inhabit and once snared the sun, so that the days might be longer. He lifted up the sky, so that the plants might have room to grow and mortals might have room to stand. It was Maui who caused birds to become visible to the human eye, so that mortals might enjoy the sight of them, even as they listened to their songs. And it was Maui who brought the secret of fire to his chosen peoples, so that their burden might be eased. He played tricks upon the other gods, so that he might learn their secrets and share them with mankind. And if the gods were angered by any of this, well, Maui paid them little heed. He reasoned that if they did not wish their secrets shared, they would have made them harder to learn.

In all these ways and more, Maui has sought to improve the lot of his people and protect them from the myriad dangers that stalk them. But as the world grows ever more tumultuous, and the gods of many pantheons strive against one another, Maui finds himself called upon to play his tricks on worthier and more fearsome targets.