Faumea

Faumea is a figure in Polynesian mythology, specifically that of the Tuamotus archipelago of French Polynesia, where she is regarded as an "eel-woman".[1] The sea god Tangaroa encounters her when he sails to her island.[2] In addition to being an eel-woman, Faumea has eels within her vagina which eat men, reflecting the folk concept of vagina dentata.[3] However, Faumea teaches Tangaroa how to lure the eels out and they have sex.[4] Faumea bears Tangaroa two sons: Tu-Nui-Ka-Rere (also called Rata-Nui) and Turi-A-Faumea.[1]

Later, Turi-A-Faumea's wife Hina-Arau-Riki is kidnapped by the octopus-demon Rogo-Tumu-Here.[5] Faumea helps Tangaroa and their sons rescue Hina by holding the wind within "the sweat of her armpit" and then releasing it at Tangaroa's command to power their canoes.[1][5]

American folklorist Martha Warren Beckwith recorded a similarity or possible relation to the fertility goddess Haumea.[1]

References
  1. Beckwith, Martha Warren (1976) [1st pub. 1940]. Hawaiian Mythology. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 9780824805142.
  2. Cotterell, Arthur (1980). A Dictionary of World Mythology: 1St American Ed. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0192177478.
  3. Ross, Sonja Brigitte (1994). Die Vagina dentata in Mythos und Erzählung: Transkulturalität, Bedeutungsvielfalt und kontextuelle Einbindung eines Mythenmotivs (in German). Holos.
  4. Lederer, Wolfgang (1968). The fear of women. Grune & Stratton. faumea.
  5. Coulter, Charles Russell; Turner, Patricia (2013-07-04). Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. Routledge. ISBN 9781135963972.
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