Resource Sheet GG: Full synopsis of the story of Maui – One Man Against the Gods

AT THE CREATION OF THE WORLD
Ra, the god of light, and Hine, the goddess of darkness, call upon the children of the Earth (Papatuanuku) and Sky (Ranginui) to sever their parents’ smothering embrace. Their success creates the first dawn of a new world (te ao marama). / Karanga mai ra, karanga te poo
A call to the night, to the darkness
Io Matua Te Kore...e arara...e arara
Io-matua-te-kore awaken
Tenei te timatatanga o te ao marama
This is the coming of the world's first light
Ka tuohu kia Papatuanuku kia Ranginui...ee
We look down to Papatuanuku and Ranginui beneath us
THE BIRTH OF MAUI
Ages pass and mere mortals journey in and out of our earthly realm, becoming the ancestors that watch over us. Into this world, Taranga gives premature birth to her fifth child, Maui. Hine rises from the spirit world to embrace the soul of the lifeless infant. But Taranga, in her grief, refuses to give up her baby to death. She wraps Maui in a lock of her hair and casts him into the waves. / Aue te piripoho
My dearest stillborn
Naa toku wharetangata
From my womb
Ka whiua koe ki te moana
I give you to the ocean
Naa Tangaroa koe e tiaki
For Tangaroa to care for you
UNDER THE SEA
Wrapped in the protective strands of his mother’s dark hair, the infant Maui struggles between life and death. Eventually, Maui cheats Hine with the help of the sons and daughters of the ocean god, Tangaroa.
Ra plucks Maui from the jellyfish and adopts him into his godly kingdom. Thwarted in her claim for Maui’s spirit, Hine nevertheless marks Maui with a moko of mortality. / Ei teenaa te mauri
Here is the life force
Te mauri ka noho
The life force dwelling within
Ka noho ki runga
From below to above
Ki runga ki teenei mokopuna
Given to this child
IN THE SUN-GOD’S REALM
Ra schools Maui in the godly arts, teaching him an ancient prayer (karakia). In ignorance of his human limitations, Maui dares to wield Ra’s sacred weapon (patu) and unwittingly conjures a vision of his mother, Taranga. Recognising the comb (heru) in her hair, the impulsive youth is inspired to go in search of his earthly roots. / Maui-tikitiki-a-Taranga
To Maui, who was bundled in Taranga’s hair
Mai ee te tipua
The sacred teachings
Mai ee te tawhito
The ancient knowledge
Mai ee te kahui-o-ngaa-ariki
The lore of the ancients
ON THE BEACH
Returning to the land of his mother, Maui encounters his brothers at play. Unfamiliar with the customs of the mortal world, he offends them by refusing to take up their offering (taki). Unpracticed at combat between mortals, Maui is beaten by his brothers.
Rejected and alone, Maui realizes he is out of place both in the world of his mother and his adoptive father: a mortal raised by gods. Maui has a vision of death, but refuses to succumb to his despair. / Kaore au e mataku a Hine-nui-te-Poo
I am not afraid of Hine
Whakarongo mai ki te kaupapa nei
Listen to my declaration
Teenei ahau, te rangatira,
I am descended from chiefs
AROUND THE FIRE
Maui has an emotional reunion with his mother, which is later tempered by the realization that his former tormentors are actually his older brothers. Taranga tries to welcome Maui by including him in a song that celebrates the family’s sacred fire, but his brothers want nothing to do with him. Snubbed again, the mischievous Maui secretly desecrates his brothers’ fire. When Taranga discovers that the sacred flame has been extinguished, she orders the brothers to fetch a new flame from the cavern of fire. / Ka rongo ahau (matou) ki to ihi
We feel your heat
Ka mahana te ngaakau e
And it warms our hearts
Moo to manaakitanga whakanuia a to taatou ahi-kaa
For the care you provide, we salute you, our sacred, eternal flame
IN THE CAVERN OF FIRE
Maui’s brothers eventually find the necessary courage to venture into the cavern of fire. However, their daring proves short-lived in the face of the menacing flames.
Alone in the cave, Maui captures the life of a flame with Ra’s sacred patu. This transgression unleashes an inferno that threatens to engulf him.
Luckily, Ra appears to save him by calling down snow to quell the firestorm. Ra then demands that Maui return the secret of fire to the gods. Maui refuses. / Ko Rangi, ko Papatuanuku, te whaea,
Our sky father and sacred earth mother
Te heketanga o ngaa roimata
The falling of tears during your separation
He tio, he huka, he hau uu
Heke nuku, heke rangi, heke raro ra.
Bring down the snows to quell the flames.
GONE FISHING
Maui’s brothers deliberately leave the trickster behind when they next go fishing, but the outsider stows away. The brothers refuse to offer him a hook or bait. However, unable to resist humiliating his brothers, Maui wipes his own blood on the sacred patu and, using the ancient prayer that Ra taught him, conjures the spirits to fish a great land from the sea. / Ko teenei te waka o ngaa tuakana
This is the canoe of the elder brothers
Tenei maatou ngaa rangatira
We are the chiefs around here
Ki te hii-ika i te moana
Catching fish from the ocean
Nekenekehia a Maui tinihanga
We don’t need Maui the trickster
BACK ON THE BEACH
Exhausted from his efforts, Maui is unable to prevent his envious brothers from carving up the new land. Tempers erupt. Maui is on the verge of killing one of his brothers when Hine is drawn to the scene. When he senses her presence, Maui stops short of the final blow and instead openly challenges Hine. Yet Ra again denies her, this time to teach his wayward son a lesson. / Ripia ripia
Sever the flesh, split it apart
Tapahia atu ra!
Lacerate the body
Te-ika-a-Maui
The body of Maui’s great fish
IN THE FOREST
Bruised by Ra’s punishment, Maui contemplates his destiny. In this moment of reflection, Taranga bestows on Maui the taiaha that symbolises leadership of the family.
Refusing to be cowed by the gods, the mighty warrior commits himself to humbling Ra. In fear and admiration, Maui’s brothers join him in a plan to trap the sun-god and steal his power of flight. / Ko te ira atua, ko te ira tangata
Part god, part man
Ko wai ra, aha ko wai ra
Who am I really?
Kei hea i taku ara poutama ra
Where does my destiny lead me
Ara karapa, ka uira, katoa, te mahuru ki koonei
I summon the lightning, the thunder and the spiritual forces to aid my journey of discovery
IN THE AIR
Ra warns Maui of the folly of his actions, but Maui is emboldened by his success; he has stolen flame, fished up a mighty land and now rules the skies. He resolves to defeat Hine, the goddess of death, who stands between him and his dream of immortality.
Sensing that she will lose her youngest son, Taranga tries to dissuade Maui from his plan. But he rejects her counsel. As he leaves, she mourns her son a second time. / Kei whea te ara i whanatu ai koe
Where is the path you have taken?
Aue i takahi ai te ara ki to matenga
You have taken the path to your doom
Waiho te whaaea maana e mae noa
Leaving your mother to seek solace in vain
IN THE UNDERWORLD
Three times Maui has defied Hine, leaving the crafty warrior confident of outwitting her again. In the underworld he confronts what will be his ultimate challenge as Hine welcomes him to her domain. / Haere mai ra ki to taatou kaainga tuuturu
Come back to your ancient homeland
Hoki wairua mai ki ahau
Your spirit returns to my side
Kei runga i te ara wairua e,
Along the path of souls