Pele << PEH leh >> is the goddess of fire and volcanoes in the mythology of Hawaii and other islands in Polynesia. She is also known as Goddess of the Sacred Land and Earth-eating Woman. Her home is in the caldera of Kilauea << `kee` loh WAY ah >> , an active volcano on the island of Hawaii. A caldera is a craterlike depression formed by volcanic eruption. Pele can change her form. She sometimes appears as an ugly hag with rough skin and red eyes and other times as a beautiful woman. She often travels in the company of her many sisters and brothers. The ground shakes whenever they move from one location to another.
Pele is known for her fickle temper. She is often characterized as jealous and spiteful. In one myth, Pele saw the lovely goddess of the snow, Poli’ahu << poh lee AH hoo >> , and became jealous of her beauty. Pele opened up the ground around Mauna Kea << MOW nuh KAY uh >> , a volcano neighboring Kilauea, and threw fire and lava at Poli’ahu. With her snowy cloak on fire, Poli’ahu retreated up the mountain peak, sending snow to harden Pele’s lava. Eventually, Pele surrendered Mauna Kea to Poli’ahu and settled in Kilauea.
In another myth, Pele sent her sister, Hi’iaka << `hee` ee AH kuh >> , to retrieve Pele’s lover, a prince from the island of Kauai. Hi’iaka agreed, but only if Pele promised not to harm her beloved red-flowered lehua << leh HOO uh >> groves or her friend Hopoe << HO PO eh >> . Pele agreed, but Hi’iaka was delayed upon discovering that Pele’s lover had died. Hi’iaka spent days chanting over the lover’s body to bring him back to life. Convinced that her sister had stolen her lover, Pele burned the lehua groves, killing Hopoe as well. Upon returning with Kauai’s prince, Hi’iaka was furious to discover her sister had broken her promise. Hi’iaka kissed the prince to spite Pele. The sisters eventually made peace, and it is said that, as a result, lehua flowers are among the first things to grow on the island’s hardened lava flows.
The name “Pele’s tears” is used for black, teardrop-shaped pieces of hardened volcanic glass found around Hawaii’s calderas. These pieces form when droplets of lava are thrown into the air during a volcanic eruption and cool before they hit ground. Other lava droplets are sometimes blown by the wind into fine threads called “Pele’s hair.” According to a popular legend, any visitor who takes a piece of volcanic lava from the Hawaiian Islands will suffer the wrath of Pele. They will have bad luck until the rock is returned to Hawaii and Pele is appeased. This tale is actually a modern story made up to discourage tourists from taking volcanic rocks as souvenirs.
