Myths and Legends of Hawaii

by William Drake Westervelt

Myths and Legends of Hawai'i is a one-volume selection from the four volumes of ancient Polynesian lore by the late Dr. William D. Westervelt, the most prolific and popular retellers of Hawaiian folk tales. The selections, edited for the enjoyment of the modern reader, embody the ethos of the Hawaiian people of old that can still be found in the islands today. Here are the exploits of Maui, the story of Hina, the saga of Pele, her sister Hi'iaka and the legends of ghosts, gods, menehuene and 'aumakua.

Genres: Mythology, History, Nonfiction, Folklore, Historical

288 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2005

About the author

William Drake Westervelt was the author of several books and magazines on Hawaiian history and legends. He drew upon the collections of David Malo, Samuel Kamakau, and Abraham Fornander to popularize Hawaiian folklore

Reviews

[Angela Penrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an enjoyable read, and seems to cover a lot of ground. But it's by a white man, and it feels much older than its 1987 copyright date. (Note that, except in the title, there are no apostrophes to indicate the glottal stop that's a very common sound in the Hawaiian language, so I was left flailing for mental pronunciations of most of the Hawaiian names and words.) It feels like a white anthropologist from several generations ago writing down the quaint legends of the not-quite-civilized natives, which isn't really what I was looking for. I'm not familiar with Hawaiian myths and legends myself, so I can't say for sure how much he got wrong or viewed through an ethnocentrically warped lens, but it feels iffy.

The listing of other books by this publisher at the end of the volume has some written by native Hawaiians. I'll try one or two of those and then maybe come back and edit. For now, I'm hesitantly pleased with this book; it was a fun read, but I don't know how accurate a view it gives.

[Jaclynn (JackieReadsAlot) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked bits of pieces but the writing is terribly outdated and rambling. I wish he would have started with the origin stories and moved forward, rather than dedicating the first quarter of the book to stories of Maui. Lots of redundancies. Hawai'ian myths and legends are beautiful and this doesn't do them justice.

[Pieter · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the book might be interesting for people studying folklore, it is a bit of a disappointment for a more casual reader like me who likes the stories and not the telling of such by everyday life people. As the preface states, it is a collection of articles of and on stories collected in the early 20th century and it shows. For each well told tale, there is one that is either a boring list of events or a rambling difficult to follow due to language and huge number of characters (made all the more complicated because one character can have multiple names, and the many references to other stories). It is also interspersed with comments that makes me very curious whether they are by the (white) man whom collected the stories or the storytellers, think comments like commenting on the "superstitious" rituals performed by canoe builders or describing the Polynesians as "Vikings of the Pacific" and "sea raiders".

All in all, not the best of myths and legends books I have read and definitely not a book for a casual reader who wants more cohesive tales.

[Bibiana Krall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Myths And Legends of Hawaii by William Drake Westervelt was exactly what I was looking for.

I combed through a gazillion books online trying to find something to read before I traveled to help me understand culture and mythology, as I explored the Big Island. Wanting to learn something about the beautiful and sacred areas that beforehand, I knew virtually nothing about.

Super grateful that the National Park Service still runs their onsite bookstores with reading material to help explorers like me find out more about the history and legends of places like the mysterious and enchanting island and warm-hearted locals.

Although this text wasn't novelized or an easy read, I took my time with each story and learned as I went along. If I had known that the Night Marchers were real, I might have skipped a few of my morning walks... eek!

A great book, and recommended for any traveler to Hawaii.

[Anna Brandes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I initially picked up this book because I was interested in revisiting some of the legends I grew up learning in elementary and middle school. This book was easy to find and seemed to be fairly widespread. I had a couple issues with it before starting: it is not written by a Native Hawaiian (the legends come from written documentation of oral retellings by Hawaiian cultural practictioners) and the fact that it is a written representation of stories that are meant to be shared orally. That being said, I tried to go in with an open mind. I was still disappointed. The author weaved in quite a bit of opinion throughout the stories as well as historical context. While some of the historical context was helpful, it was distracting to have this in the middle of a story rather than at the beginning or end. Overall I appreciated the reminder of these beautiful stories but this book confirmed for me that they are meant to be told out loud.

[Mililani · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the 50 books recommended to read as part of the Hawaiian Literature Must Read List. Although it has been around for many years, it is good to read about the various legends, locations, and characters in the traditional Hawaiian folklore collection.

I found it very interesting to link the legends with particular places in Hawaii, often with names I have never heard in my life. It is a good link between the culture and places.

[Caitlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't actually finish, but I read enough that I'm counting it

[Aurora Shele · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars from bringing the Hawaiian magic accros the world. Unfortunately it was poorly written for our century and it wasn't a page turner. But it brought me back to Hawaii so that was good enough.

[Chelsie]

I think i want to read this book

[Justin Sims · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a nice pocket paperback to read while out on the Hawaiian beaches it does the trick. Found it very insightful and enjoy that it got straight into the stories without excess commentary or banter.

[Tammy]

https://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/...

[Dione Sage · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Legends and Myths of Hawaii by Kalakaua and this one by W.D. Westervelt are both great books. If you have read any of my other reviews on Hawaiian Mythology/Legends/Folklore then you may already know that I have a love for Hawaiian tales and myths so this is yet another book I have in my collection to enjoy.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book but i felt like it was lacking some general information. I picked this up in Hawaii after being on several tours where people give input on tales and myths of the area, I thought the book would be a good summary of what I had leaned all in one convenient volume, I was wrong.

[J Crossley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book presents many myths from the islands of Hawaii.