[The story of the 'ōhi'a lehua blossoms]
Pelehonuamea, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and lava; creation and destruction; life and death, always got what she desired. Her power, immense. Her temper, legendary. And her love, deep.
One day, she came upon a gorgeous man named 'Ōhi'a. She immediately became infatuated with him.
She went, and began her flirting, but 'Ōhi'a refused her advances. Taken aback, Pele asked him how he could refuse the goddess. He told her his heart had already been captured. His desire, his affection, and his life only belonging to his love, Lehua.
Pele became outraged, the nerve of this mortal man to deny her! To deny the Goddess of these islands. In her embarrassment and jealousy, she cursed 'Ōhi'a. The gorgeous man she admired was turned into an ugly tree of twisted branches.
Searching for her beloved, Lehua came upon 'Ōhi'a and wept. She grieved to the gods, to the goddesses, to anyone that would hear her cries. But none would dare go against Pele. Lehua fell into sadness.
Pitying Lehua in her sorrow, the gods decided to reunite the two lovers. They turned Lehua into a gorgeous red blossom to adorn the 'Ōhi'a. This way, they'd be together forever.
To this day, the lovers remain together as the Lehua blossom of the 'Ōhi'a tree. It is said that when you pick the lehua blossom, the heavens will weep, for you are separating the two lovers.
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Polynesian Legends
Short StoryStories, traditionally passed down through word of mouth, are documented and written down in this series. From the islands of Hawai'i to Aotearoa to Rapa Nui, and all in between, our stories are remembered and immortalized in writing. Polynesian Leg...
