Māui or Maui is the great culture hero and trickster in Polynesian mythology. Very rarely was Māui actually worshipped, being less of a deity (Demigod) and more of a folk hero. His origins vary from culture to culture, but many of his main exploits remain relatively similar.
Māui is a character from Māori and Polynesian mythology. Though the stories about him do sometimes differ, he is consistently depicted as a clever, talented trickster. He's a demi-god, and he has supernatural powers, but still looks human.
To do this, he needed a strong rope and lasso, which is mother and grandmother provided for him. After studying the ways of the sun, Maui climbed to the top of Haleakalā (house of the rising sun), and lassoed the sun. The sun was caught and could not hurry across the sky.
Whilst the character is entirely fictional, it's interesting to note that the name Tamatoa actually means “trophy” in the Maori language. This is very apt because Tamatoa is all about collecting treasure and souvenirs from the people he has defeated.
In Disney's 2016 animated film Moana, audiences were introduced to the lovable demi-god Maui. Maui is a shapeshifting, trickster god who comes to the aid of the film's protagonist, Moana, on her quest to save her island and family.
The story of the demigod Maui stretches across the Pacific and is estimated to be over 1000 years old. Always on a quest to empower mankind, Maui has become an endearing icon to the people of Polynesia.
Maui (/maʊwiː/) is a fictional character from the animated film Moana. Created by directors Ron Clements and John Musker and voiced by Dwayne Johnson, Maui is loosely based on Māui from Hawaiian mythology.
And Taranga embraced him and welcomed him. And Maui's father, whose name was Makea-tu-tara welcomed him and took him to cleanse him from all impurities and perform the sacred rituals over him, so that the gods would keep Maui safe.
Te Fiti does not exist in Polynesian mythology, but there is a goddess of fire, lightning, wind, and volcanoes called Pele. The spiral on Te Fiti's heart, Moana's necklace, and on the sail of her boat is called a koru. Te Fiti slightly resembles the Spring Sprite from the Firebird Suite segment in Fantasia 2000.
Among the iwi of New Zealand, Hina is usually considered to be either the elder sister or the wife of Māui. The most common story that presents Hina as the wife of Māui tells of Te Tunaroa, the father of all eels, who one day visited the pool where Hina bathed.
5) In the film's novelization, Moana's age is given as 16. This makes her the only Disney princess to be voiced by an actress younger than herself. Moana was released on Cravalho's 16th birthday.
Birth. Māui is the son of Taranga, the wife of Makeatutara. He was a miraculous birth – his mother threw her premature infant into the sea wrapped in a tress of hair from her topknot (tikitiki) – hence Māui's full name is Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga. Ocean spirits found and wrapped the child in seaweed and jellyfish.
Although Moana is from the fictional island Motunui some 3,000 years ago, the story and culture of Moana is based on the very real heritage and history of Polynesian islands such as Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, and Tahiti. In fact, once you start looking for ties to Polynesian culture in Moana, it's hard to stop!
A demigod or demigoddess is a part-human and part-divine offspring of a deity and a human, or a human or non-human creature that is accorded divine status after death, or someone who has attained the "divine spark" (spiritual enlightenment).
Andaya ultimately said that officials feared residents would believe a tsunami was coming and evacuate to higher ground if they heard the sirens. “Had we sounded the siren that night we're afraid that people would've gone mauka,” he said, using the Hawaiian directional term that can mean toward the mountains or inland.
Temuera Morrison as Tui, Moana's overprotective father, Sina's husband, and Tala's son. He is chief of Motunui Island. Morrison reprised his role in the film's Māori-language dub.
It is a beautiful Hawaiian given name meaning "ocean, sea, or expanse of water." The name has been a firm favorite among Polynesian communities for years, gaining global popularity with the release of Disney's epic animated film in 2016.
While Maui does come from Polynesian cycles, Te Fiti and her demon aspect Te Ka were invented. The gods can be quite ambiguous in many mythologies, including Polynesian ones. Since Polynesia shares few deities in common, they invented a new one.
Sina briefly appears later on during Moana's nightmare, where she watches her parents die as the curse consumes the entirety of the island. Sina is last seen after Moana returns home from her successful mission. Sina warmly embraces her daughter, and the family is reunited once more.
For five years, Disney consulted scores of people on research trips throughout the South Pacific, specialists in fishing techniques and tattoos, ancient navigation and traditional dance. These experts formed the film's Oceanic Story Trust, and it was members of this group who pushed the filmmakers for a bigger Maui.
Moana isn't the first princess not to have a love interest. Princess Merida from Brave also didn't have one. The story was all about her not wanting go through with an arranged marriage and her relationship with her mother, and that movie was AMAZING.
