In my previous post I wrote about the beautiful Maori legend which explains why rain falls on earth, and in this post I will continue writing about Maori legends.

Mythical Monsters

Along with various gods Maori acknowledged additional various forces. Some of them were associated with different Maori tribes and territories, others were family keepers and held the guarding responsibilities (kaitiaki), warning about dangers. Most of the Maori tribes had things identified with mythical monsters, such as timber or sailing heap of grass. These things were untouchable and were avoided. According to Maori beliefs many monsters lived at the deep of rivers and lakes, some of them were considered good and some evil.
The spirits (wairua) could also be good or evil. The died person who wasn’t buried properly, and hence didn’t join his ancestors became a wandering spirit tormenting his living descendants until the proper ceremonies are performed. The spirits of miscarried babies were also considered troubled and evil.

The Creation of the World

Ancient Maori philosophers devoted a great deal of thought to the beginning of the world, and expressed their beliefs in songs. One of these songs tells about the time before the creation, the time of Nothingness - Te Kore, after which came the time of possible existence - Te Korekore, and the came the time of deep darkness - Te Po. Finally the darkness was defeated and the world of light was created - Te Aomarama. Maori sang this song long before first Europeans set foot on New Zealand. This song is among origins to Maori concept - trinity of the Universe: The Sky (Te Rangi), The Light (Te Ao-marama), and the deep darkness, the world of the dead (Te Po).