The Polynesians also had the idea of a double soul inhabiting the body
- Date of account
- Published 1910
- Source
- Legends of Ma-ui—a demi god of Polynesia, and of his mother Hina
- Reference
- Legends of Ma-ui—a demi god of Polynesia, and of his mother Hina · selected passage 3
- Rights
- public_domain
- Language
- English
- Record updated
- 2026-08-25
Record summary
The Polynesians also had the idea of a double soul inhabiting the body
Published source text
Read the available text below. Archive transcriptions may contain OCR errors; later context is labelled separately. A recorded claim is not a finding that it happened.
Source passage
Source text · mention onlyThe Polynesians also had the idea of a double soul inhabiting the body. This is carried out in the ghost legends more fully than in the Maui stories, and yet "the spirit separate from the spirit which never forsakes man" according to Polynesian ideas, was a part of the Maui birth legends. This spirit, which can be separated or charmed away from the body by incantations was called the "hau." When Maui's father performed the religious ceremonies over him which would protect him and cause him to be successful, he forgot a part of his incantation to the "hau," therefore Maui lost his protection from death when he sought immortality for himself and all mankind.
Historical context
Contextual commentary · mention onlyThis material belongs to a folklore tradition. Story type, collector, community, transmission and literary editing matter when comparing it with other sources.
Modern context
Contextual commentary · mention onlyLattice compares motifs and reported features without assuming that a traditional being is a biological species or that similar stories document one external cause.
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