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Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes
Still popular nearly a century after its original publication, W.D. Westervelt's Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes, is well written and well-paced. Especially enjoyable are the tales the exploits of Pele and her sister Hiiaka with mortals such as the handsome chiefs Kahawali and Lohiau, and the explosive love affair with the pig-god Kamapuaa. The powerful conflicts between Pele and Poliahu, the snow goddess, and Hiiaka and the many moo, or supernatural water creatures, are recounted with the rhythm and suspense befitting the best drama.
205 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1916
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209 people want to read
About the author
William Drake Westervelt
26 books5 followersWilliam 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
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 10, 2017
I have read numerous books on Hawaii mythology and history from the turn of the last century, and I've become jaded to the biased viewpoints of the time. I was delighted and surprised to find this book, available as a free download from the New York Public Library, was well-written, articulate, and academic in its approach to traditional Hawaiian stories and the science of geology. Indeed, the forward was written by T.A. Jaggar Jr, who the Volcanoes National Park museum is now named for. That raised my esteem right from the start.
The book keeps a tight focus on Pele, stories about Hawaiian volcanoes, and the actual scientific research then beginning on Kilauea. (At the time of the book's publication, MIT's volcano observatory had been in operation for five years.) This is a book written for a more discerning audience than the usual early 20th century mythology books with their trite references to 'poor primitives'; this book keeps a respectful tone throughout, and I get the sense that Westervelt was as fascinated by the land and its legends as I have been. The ad copy at the back even noted that Westerveldt's previous books had been reviewed in major newspapers like the New York Times.
The book keeps a tight focus on Pele, stories about Hawaiian volcanoes, and the actual scientific research then beginning on Kilauea. (At the time of the book's publication, MIT's volcano observatory had been in operation for five years.) This is a book written for a more discerning audience than the usual early 20th century mythology books with their trite references to 'poor primitives'; this book keeps a respectful tone throughout, and I get the sense that Westervelt was as fascinated by the land and its legends as I have been. The ad copy at the back even noted that Westerveldt's previous books had been reviewed in major newspapers like the New York Times.
June 2, 2025
Unfortunately, I have mixed emotions about “Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes” by William Drake Westervelt.
On one hand, I loved learning about the Hawaiian culture and I loved the illustrations by Dietrich Varez; these illustrations remind me of some of the Japanese woodblock prints from the last few centuries, such as those by Hiroshige. My favorite illustrations from this book include: “‘I’iwi Nest” on page 6, “E Wa’a” on page 8, “Pele and Kapāpala” on page 36, “Hawaiian Surfers” on page 37, and “Lā’ieikawai” on page 56.
On the other hand, I disliked the writing style and found some of the stories difficult to follow; there were some minor typographical mistakes as well. I was unable to find much information about Westervelt, beyond what was provided in the editor’s foreword; I was hoping to figure out if Westervelt was exploitive of the Hawaiian peoples, especially in the context of his and his wife’s religious backgrounds…
••••
“Of all the noteworthy groups of islands of fire rock in the Pacific Ocean, the Hawaiian Islands are the most stupendous. The crack in the floor of the ocean upon which they are built extends from the large island Hawaii northwesterly about two thousand miles toward Japan. The islands for the first four hundred miles are large and mountainous, but as the chain is followed toward the end; the islands quickly become mere bluffs rising out of the sea, or low coral islands which have been built on the rims of submerged volcanoes. It is interesting to note that the oldest, the smallest, and the lowest of these islands lie nearest to Japan. One of these, Midway Island is used as the United States mid-Pacific cable station. Properly speaking, the Hawaiian Island group should cover all the islands in this chain two thousand miles long. The mountains of the large islands rise from 3,000 to 14,000 feet above the sea-level. Between this majestic range of island mountains and the ‘Giants of the Rockies,’ along the western coast of the United
States, lies a rough ocean valley abounding in hills and deep ravines with an average depth under the sea-surface of about 2,600 fathoms, or 15,600 feet. We know very little about this valley save that its floor is covered with evidences of volcanic action. Pumice and scoriae appear to be universally distributed on the bottom of the ocean.
Red and gray, and blue and green clays abound. The disintegration of pumice is given as the chief source for the formation of this clayey matter. Sometimes the deposits are permeated with meteoric or star dust…” — Page 7
“From several continued Pele stories in newspapers in the native language, about 1865, the following sketch of the Pele family, is compiled: The god Ku, under the name Ku-waha-ilo, was the father. Haumea was the mother. Her father was a man-eater. Her mother was a precipice (i.e., belonged to the earth). Others say Ku-waha-ilo, had neither father nor mother, but dwelt in the far-off heavens. (This probably meant that he lived beyond the most distant boundary of the horizon.) Two daughters were born. The first, Na-maka-o-ka-hai, was born from the breasts of Haumea. Pele was born from the thighs. After this the brothers and sisters were given life by Haumea. Ka-moho-alii, the shark-god, was born from the top of the head. He was the elder brother, the caretaker of the family, always self-denying and ready to answer any call from his relatives. Kane-hekili, Kane who had the thunder, was born from the mouth. Kauwila-nui, who ruled the lightning, came from the flashing eyes of Haumea. Thus the family came from the arms, from the wrists, the palms of the hands, the fingers, the various joints, and even from the toes. A modern reader would think that Hau-mea as Mother Earth threw out her children in the natural outburst of earth forces, but it is extremely doubtful if the old Hawaiians had any such idea. Yet the expression that Haumea was a precipice might imply a misty feeling in that direction. The youngest of the family, Hiiaka-in-the-bosom-of-Pele, was born an egg. After she had been carefully warmed and nourished by Pele, she became a beautiful child. When she grew into womanhood she was the bravest, the most powerful, except Pele, and the most gentle and lovable of all the sisters…” — Page 65
“Kupuas were legendary monsters which could change themselves into human beings at will. They were said to have come from far-off lands with the early settlers. They had descendants who lived along the seacoast or in out-of-the-way places inland. They were always ready to destroy and often devour any strangers passing near them. Frequently they were sharks which had a shark mouth although appearing like men. This mouth was between the shoulders and was concealed by a cape thrown carefully over the back. As human beings they would mingle with their fellows and go out in the sea, bathing and surf-riding, but when they went into the water they would dive under, assume their shark form, and catch some one of the bathers. They would carry the body to some under-water cave, where it could be devoured. All other sea monsters were given human qualities, some were helpful to men and some were destructive. Fabled monsters lived on land. Some of these were gigantic lizards, probably the legendary memory of the crocodiles of their ancient home in India. Some were the great clouds floating in the heavens. Peculiar rocks, trees, precipices, waterfalls, birds, indeed everything with or without life, might be given human and supernatural power and called kupuas. After a time various objects began to have worshippers who became priests supposed to be endowed with the qualities of the objects worshipped. These, in the later days, have been considered sorcerers or witches, receiving the name kupuas.” — Page 103
On one hand, I loved learning about the Hawaiian culture and I loved the illustrations by Dietrich Varez; these illustrations remind me of some of the Japanese woodblock prints from the last few centuries, such as those by Hiroshige. My favorite illustrations from this book include: “‘I’iwi Nest” on page 6, “E Wa’a” on page 8, “Pele and Kapāpala” on page 36, “Hawaiian Surfers” on page 37, and “Lā’ieikawai” on page 56.
On the other hand, I disliked the writing style and found some of the stories difficult to follow; there were some minor typographical mistakes as well. I was unable to find much information about Westervelt, beyond what was provided in the editor’s foreword; I was hoping to figure out if Westervelt was exploitive of the Hawaiian peoples, especially in the context of his and his wife’s religious backgrounds…
••••
“Of all the noteworthy groups of islands of fire rock in the Pacific Ocean, the Hawaiian Islands are the most stupendous. The crack in the floor of the ocean upon which they are built extends from the large island Hawaii northwesterly about two thousand miles toward Japan. The islands for the first four hundred miles are large and mountainous, but as the chain is followed toward the end; the islands quickly become mere bluffs rising out of the sea, or low coral islands which have been built on the rims of submerged volcanoes. It is interesting to note that the oldest, the smallest, and the lowest of these islands lie nearest to Japan. One of these, Midway Island is used as the United States mid-Pacific cable station. Properly speaking, the Hawaiian Island group should cover all the islands in this chain two thousand miles long. The mountains of the large islands rise from 3,000 to 14,000 feet above the sea-level. Between this majestic range of island mountains and the ‘Giants of the Rockies,’ along the western coast of the United
States, lies a rough ocean valley abounding in hills and deep ravines with an average depth under the sea-surface of about 2,600 fathoms, or 15,600 feet. We know very little about this valley save that its floor is covered with evidences of volcanic action. Pumice and scoriae appear to be universally distributed on the bottom of the ocean.
Red and gray, and blue and green clays abound. The disintegration of pumice is given as the chief source for the formation of this clayey matter. Sometimes the deposits are permeated with meteoric or star dust…” — Page 7
“From several continued Pele stories in newspapers in the native language, about 1865, the following sketch of the Pele family, is compiled: The god Ku, under the name Ku-waha-ilo, was the father. Haumea was the mother. Her father was a man-eater. Her mother was a precipice (i.e., belonged to the earth). Others say Ku-waha-ilo, had neither father nor mother, but dwelt in the far-off heavens. (This probably meant that he lived beyond the most distant boundary of the horizon.) Two daughters were born. The first, Na-maka-o-ka-hai, was born from the breasts of Haumea. Pele was born from the thighs. After this the brothers and sisters were given life by Haumea. Ka-moho-alii, the shark-god, was born from the top of the head. He was the elder brother, the caretaker of the family, always self-denying and ready to answer any call from his relatives. Kane-hekili, Kane who had the thunder, was born from the mouth. Kauwila-nui, who ruled the lightning, came from the flashing eyes of Haumea. Thus the family came from the arms, from the wrists, the palms of the hands, the fingers, the various joints, and even from the toes. A modern reader would think that Hau-mea as Mother Earth threw out her children in the natural outburst of earth forces, but it is extremely doubtful if the old Hawaiians had any such idea. Yet the expression that Haumea was a precipice might imply a misty feeling in that direction. The youngest of the family, Hiiaka-in-the-bosom-of-Pele, was born an egg. After she had been carefully warmed and nourished by Pele, she became a beautiful child. When she grew into womanhood she was the bravest, the most powerful, except Pele, and the most gentle and lovable of all the sisters…” — Page 65
“Kupuas were legendary monsters which could change themselves into human beings at will. They were said to have come from far-off lands with the early settlers. They had descendants who lived along the seacoast or in out-of-the-way places inland. They were always ready to destroy and often devour any strangers passing near them. Frequently they were sharks which had a shark mouth although appearing like men. This mouth was between the shoulders and was concealed by a cape thrown carefully over the back. As human beings they would mingle with their fellows and go out in the sea, bathing and surf-riding, but when they went into the water they would dive under, assume their shark form, and catch some one of the bathers. They would carry the body to some under-water cave, where it could be devoured. All other sea monsters were given human qualities, some were helpful to men and some were destructive. Fabled monsters lived on land. Some of these were gigantic lizards, probably the legendary memory of the crocodiles of their ancient home in India. Some were the great clouds floating in the heavens. Peculiar rocks, trees, precipices, waterfalls, birds, indeed everything with or without life, might be given human and supernatural power and called kupuas. After a time various objects began to have worshippers who became priests supposed to be endowed with the qualities of the objects worshipped. These, in the later days, have been considered sorcerers or witches, receiving the name kupuas.” — Page 103
March 18, 2019
An interesting dip into a completely different mythology.
April 23, 2022
This is a very interesting set of stories. The first portion is all Pele stories but there's quite a bit on the Ghost gods and a variety of other interesting gods, goddesses and other creatures and some interesting historical information including details on the establishment of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
Interesting. informative and well presented.
Interesting. informative and well presented.
February 26, 2023
Text page flow issues
I tried to read this book. The information is good but dry.
The major problem was the text not flowing properly on the page. There would be two lines of Texas then an empty line even though it was not a complete paragraph. This is very annoying. This was throughout the whole book. Editor, turn on visual punctuation zand remove all the double returns.
I tried to read this book. The information is good but dry.
The major problem was the text not flowing properly on the page. There would be two lines of Texas then an empty line even though it was not a complete paragraph. This is very annoying. This was throughout the whole book. Editor, turn on visual punctuation zand remove all the double returns.
February 10, 2023
Poorly formatted
I tried to read this but the formatting made it too hard. The introduction was fine, but from the forward on, the sentences were broken. I was really looking forward to reading this book. I will adjust my review if the book is fixed in the future.
I tried to read this but the formatting made it too hard. The introduction was fine, but from the forward on, the sentences were broken. I was really looking forward to reading this book. I will adjust my review if the book is fixed in the future.
February 22, 2023
I previously downloaded the kindle version from amazon. The formatting made it hard to read. I was recently notified by amazon that publisher updated the ebook. I gave it a try and indeed it was night and day difference. The format was easier to read but also had clickable annotations. Well done.
July 14, 2023
Interesting
The book was full of good information, I never knew that the Hawaiian people were rich in culture. This book is recommended for people wanting to acquire more information about that matter.
The book was full of good information, I never knew that the Hawaiian people were rich in culture. This book is recommended for people wanting to acquire more information about that matter.
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April 4, 2023FreeBooksy
March 20, 2025
I Take back what I said Hiiaka was actually that bitch 💅💅
May 20, 2025
as a child, I remember having a record about Pele. I enjoyed the book.
May 20, 2021
almost EVERY bit of scientific explanation about the geology of the Hawaiian volcanoes is dated and EXTREMELY incorrect. As a geology student I would know.
ALTHOUGH- I got my 1963 edition from a thrift store so maybe Glen Grants introduction is more modern
I haven’t read Part I, about Hawaiian myth, as I’ve decided to annotate my copy with the correct scientific facts in the Intro and Part II.
Based on other reviews, would recommend of the mythology but seriously don’t take the science in this book as accurate
ALTHOUGH- I got my 1963 edition from a thrift store so maybe Glen Grants introduction is more modern
I haven’t read Part I, about Hawaiian myth, as I’ve decided to annotate my copy with the correct scientific facts in the Intro and Part II.
Based on other reviews, would recommend of the mythology but seriously don’t take the science in this book as accurate
August 19, 2021
I picked up this book on a trip to Hawaii, mostly because of the beautiful illustrations. I enjoyed reading the stories of the myths of Hawaii. As a tourist, you hear a lot about Pele visiting locations there, but not much about others that are important to the Hawaiian people. Fun and short read.
January 18, 2008
We're going to Hawaii for a couple weeks and this seemed like a fun read in preparation. The writing flow is a little scattered, but mostly it's pretty fun.
July 3, 2011
i bought this on my trip to hawaii, and it was an awesome light read for the plane rides
June 13, 2012
Read this for research. Not too bad.
September 27, 2018
Loved every tale and vivid drawing! Could reread over and over! Love the legends and the organization of their telling. A good dose of language education with each legend’s telling. More please!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews