The Legend Of Poliʻahu And Pele

by Paulina Jany | Copy Editor


This moʻolelo (story) was compiled using multiple sources. These include Keawe Vredenburgʻs “Poliahu and Pele: legend as information science” and W.D. Westerveltʻs “Pele and the Snow-Goddess.”

In nearly every culture, fire and ice have been opposing forces of equal strength, trapped in a never-ending battle. Hawaiian culture is no different. Snow is embodied by the snow goddess/deity Poliʻahu, who made her home upon Mauna Kea. She is said to be the most well known of the four kupua that live on the mountain, which are human beings with supernatural powers that don’t have the status of gods. Fire and lava are embodied by the goddess/deity Pele, who resides in Halemaʻumaʻu crater in Kīlauea.

In this story, Pele is referred to as Keahilele. Depending on the source, these individuals are known as either goddesses or kupua.

The legend focuses on a holua sledding competition between Poliahu and Keahilele (Pele). Holua sledding was a hazardous sport that was also known as “land sledding” or “sled surfing.” Participants would slide down a steep, slick hill covered in dirt and kukui nut (candlenut) oil on a skinny, long sled at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour.

Kīlauea has been constantly erupting since 1983, signalling Pele’s presence on the Big Island.Kīlauea has been constantly erupting since 1983, signalling Pele’s presence on the Big Island. The legend initially focuses on Poliʻahu and her three friends. The first friend, Lilinoe, embodied the mist that came down from the mountain. Waiau was the kupua (deity) of the underground reservoir collecting water from Mauna Kea, and Ka Houpo ʻo Kona was the bosom of Kāne, representing the springs of the island of Hawaiʻi. Poliʻahu and her three friends were enjoying their time holua sledding on the slopes of Mauna Kea, near Hāmākua, when they were joined by a woman visitor who claimed to be from the southernmost part of the Big Island. She indicated that her name was Keahilele and asked if she could join the competition, to which Lilinoe offered her the use of her holua (sled).

After the competition, Keahilele was described as “flying fire” while racing, but Poliʻahu was judged the fastest racer. Keahilele became furious and caused the ground to shake violently. Keahilele hurled Lilinoe’s holua into the ground, causing cracks to form over the subterranean caverns of Mauna Kea, from which smoke and fire spewed out. These events caused Poliʻahu to realize that Keahilele was Pele, after which her companions fled to safety.

A battle resulted between the two, with Pele causing a series of eruptions that eventually formed the glaciers on Mauna Kea. Poliʻahu initially fled towards the summit to escape the flames, but upon regaining her strength, she threw a mantle of snow over the summit, which cooled the lava and caused it to harden and stop flowing. Pele eventually succeeded in destroying the holua slide but was defeated by the heat of her fire. As a result, the lava that remained in the underground reservoir was turned away from Mauna Kea forever and instead filled the lava pools of Kīlauea. The cooled lava became the area of Laupāhoehoe.

The snowy summit of Mauna Kea is thought to be the home and refuge of Poliʻahu and the other three deities of the mountain.The snowy summit of Mauna Kea is thought to be the home and refuge of Poliʻahu and the other three deities of the mountain. The eruption of Kīlauea at Halemaʻumaʻu and snow covering the summit of Mauna Kea is thought to signify the presence of Pele and Poliahu at their respective homes. Some people, including Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at UH Mānoa’s Professor Lilikalā Kameʻeleihiwa, believe that their presence is a sign to discontinue the construction of telescopes on Mauna Kea.

This legend describes a series of volcanic eruptions known as the Laupāhoehoe Volcanic series. It occurred after the late Pleistocene Makanaka glacial episode on the summit of Mauna Kea, and resulted in the formation of Laupāhoehoe and Onomea Arch.