How Maui Caught The Sun, Part 1

The young hero Maui, had not been long at home with his brothers when he began to think, that it was too soon after the rising of the sun that it became night again.

That the sun again sank down below the horizon, every day, every day, and the days appeared too short to him,

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So at last, one day, he said to his brothers, “Let us now catch the sun in a noose, so that we may compel him to move more slowly, in order that mankind may have long days to labour in, to procure subsistence for themselves”.

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But they answered him, “Why, no man could approach it on account of its warmth, and the fierceness of its heat”.

The young hero said to them, “Have you not seen the multitude of things I have already achieved”. “Did you not see me change myself into the likeness of every bird in the forest?”

“You and I equally had the aspect and appearance of men, yet I by my enchantments changed suddenly into a bird, and then, continuing to change my form, I resembled this bird or that bird, one after another, until I had by degrees transformed myself into every bird in the world, small or great”.

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“Did I not after all this again assume the form of a man? [this he did soon after he was born, and it was after that he snared the sun].

“Therefore, as for that feat, oh, my brothers, the changing myself into birds, I accomplished it by enchantments, and I will be the same means accomplish also this other thing which I have in mind”,

When his brothers heard this, they consented on his persuasions to aid him in the conquest of the sun.

They began to spin and twist ropes to form a noose to catch the sun in, and in so doing they discovered the mode of plaiting flax into stout square shaped ropes [Tuamaka] and the manner of plaiting flat ropes [Paharahara] and the spinning of round ropes.

At last, they finished making all the ropes which they require.

Then Maui took up his enchanted weapon, and he took his brothers with him, and they carried their provisions, ropes, and other things with them in their hands.

They travelled all night, and as soon as day broke they halted in the desert, and hid themselves that they might not be seen by the sun, and at night they renewed their journey, and before dawn, they halted and hid themselves again.

At last, they got very far, very far, to the eastward, and came to the very edge of the place out of which the sun rises,

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Then they set to work and build on each side of this place a long high wall of clay, with huts of boughs of trees at each end to hide themselves in.

When these were finished, they made loops of the noose, and the brothers of Maui then lay down in wait on one side of the place out of which the sun rises, and Maui himself lay in wait on the other side.

The young hero held in his hand his enchanted weapon, the jawbone of his ancestress
Of Muri-rangi-whenua, and said to his brothers, “Mind now, keep yourselves his, and do not go showing yourselves foolishly to the sun, if you do, you will frighten him”.

“Wait patiently until his head and fore-legs have got well into the snare, then I will shout out, haul away as hard as you can on the ropes on both sides, and then I will rush out and attack him”.

“But do keep your ropes tight for a good long time [while I attack him], until he is nearly dead, then we will let him go, but mind now, my brothers, do not let him move you to pity with his shrieks and screams”.

At last the sun came rising out of his place, like a fire spreading far and wide over the mountains and forests, he rises up, his head passes through the noose, and it takes in more and more of his body until his fore-legs pass through.

Then, were pulled tight the ropes, and the monster began to struggle and roll himself about, whilst the snare jerked backwards and forwards as he struggled.

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Ah, was not he held fast in the ropes of his enemies.

Then forth rushed that bold hero, Maui-tiki tiki-o-Taranga, with his enchanted weapon.

Alas, the sun screams aloud, he roars, Maui strikes him fiercely with many blows, they hold him for a long time, at last they let him go, and then weak from wounds, the sun crept along its course.

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Then was learnt by men the second name of the sun, for in its agony the sun screamed out, “Why am I thus smitten by you, Oh man, do you know what you are doing?”.

“Why would you wish to kill Tama-nui-te-Ra?”

Thus, was learned his second name, at last, they let him go.

Oh, then Tama-nui-te-Ra went very slowly and feebly on his course.

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https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/myths-and-legends-of-new-zealand-intro

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/children-of-heaven-and-earth-how-the-heavens-were-separated-from-the-earth

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/children-of-heaven-and-earth-part-2

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/how-this-series-began

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/the-origins-of-maui-how-he-came-home-part-1

https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/how-maui-found-his-mothers-home

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