Favourite Māori Legends

by A.W. Reed, Ross Calman (Translation)

Mā ori myths and legends have an important role in transmitting and regenerating traditional knowledge. Yet as Ross Calman points out in his introduction to this new edition, they are also simply great yarns--reflective of a time when telling and listening to stories was a key leisure activity in Mā ori society.

Favourite Mā ori Legends is an invitation to enjoy over 30 of the most memorable legends, grouped into themes of the spirit world, patupaiarehe (ghosts), taniwha, supernatural creatures, heroes and deeds of daring. Concise yet complete, these gripping stories are enlivened by the timeless illustrations of Roger Hart.

160 pages, Paperback

Published December 31, 2013

Reviews

[Ben Samson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for research based purposes. Not a good choice. Maori tales recounted in very rote and uninspired fashion. Factually very suspect, written by an older Pakeha gentleman whose heart is clearly in the right place but who often comes off as very condescending. Also these are only loosely based upon secondary sources. Great story where someone grabs a pair of magical Crayfish that make him zoom super fast through the sea though.

[Lyndsay-ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really not sure about this one. I searched a book like this out while I was in New Zealand as I love reading about mythology and legends and historical origin stories. For the most part though, a lot of them tend to have a lesson or moral to the story. Most of these tended to just feel very random and the was no real purpose to the events.
The book was broken down into sections based on the type of story it was, which was a nice organization.
I am glad I got this book as I really wanted something like thisnfrom my trip. The stories are just very different to what I was hoping they were.

[Sheldon Chau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice insight into various short stories and legend of Māori culture. Kind of wished there was more depth to the stories or at least a blurb as to what makes it significant. Some stories were shocking and nice - ones that deal with the taniwha and ogresses - and others were kind of random and empty.