Legends of Gods and Ghosts (Hawaiian Mythology). Collected and Translated from the Hawaiian

The legends of the Hawaiian Islands are as varied as the legends of any country in the world. They are also completely different in form and way of thinking from fairy tales that arouse the interest and amazement of English and German children. Hawaiian mythology follows the laws on which all myths are built. The islanders have developed several beautiful myths about nature. Certain phenomena were observed, and the imagination adapted the story to an interesting object that attracted attention. Almost every valley of the island has its own special and interesting myth. There is often a historical background that has been viewed bizarrely and magnified to miraculous proportions. There are many mythological characters whose travels extend to all the islands of the group. The legends of the Hawaiian Islands are valuable in their own right as they reveal an understanding of natural phenomena and reveal their early history with its mythological surroundings. They are also valuable for comparison with the legends of other Pacific Islands, and they are extremely interesting in comparison with the folklore traditions of other nations.