Similarities between Greek Mythology and Māori Mythology

There are similarities between Greek mythology and Māori mythology.

An overthrow

In Greek mythology, the Titans were the rulers of the world that preceded the Olympians. The Olympians grew tired of the Titans controlling the world. The Olympian Zeus was the son of Cronus, who was the Titan overlord. Zeus led the Olympians in defeating the Titans and punishing them for their tyranny over the world.

In Māori mythology, at the beginning, the Earth lay sealed in darkness, as Rangi and Papa, out of whom all beings grew, would not release each other from their embrace. Their son Tāne decided to separate them and pushed them apart, allowing he and his brothers to rule over the light-filled earth.

The role of the gods

The gods were each responsible for a different part of creation. The Māori world was governed by the six staunch and passionate brothers. Tū was the god of war, Rongo the god of peace, Haumia the god of cultivated things and Tāwhiri the god of the wind, Tangaroa the god of the ocean and Tāne the god of the forest. They fought with each another when their interests conflicted. The Greek Olympians similarly had their respective domains and often came into conflict with one another. Zeus ruled the Earth, Poseidon ruled the ocean and Hades ruled the Underworld. Aphrodite was the goddess of love. Athena was the goddess of wisdom, war and useful arts. Ares was the god of war. Hera was the goddess of marriage, mothers and families. Apollo was the god of the sun and the temple and Artemis the god of the hunt. 

Mythological stories also express moral messages. In Greek mythology, the gods would often intervene in the affairs of humans. For example, Athena was the protector of those fighting for a just cause. She supported Achilles during the Trojan War, as well as Jason and the Argonauts in their search for the golden fleece. In Māori mythology, Māui is ignored by his older brothers at first, because they do not think he is as strong as them, but sooner or later they realise that he has the skills and talents that they need.

Death

Both cultures share a mythology of the Underworld. In Māori mythology, the underworld is called Rarohenga and is the domain of Hine-nui-i-te-pō, the goddess of death. Curiously, the underworld in te ao Māori is seen as a place of light. In Greek mythology, Hades is the name for both the god of death and the place where he resides. Greek mythology also has a River Styx. Like the boundary between life and death, once one has crossed the river, they can never return to the other side.

Māori mythology does not have a river, but there is an entry-point into the underworld. 

Both Greek and Māori myths tell of a god/goddess's fall which led the god or goddess to become ruler of the underworld. Before Hine-nui-i-te-pō was goddess of death, she was Hinetītama, the Dawn Maiden. She became the goddess of death when she discovered that her husband Tāne was also her father. Hades drew lots with Zeus and Poseidon to decide which part of the world each would rule. Hades drew the short straw and was sent to the underworld. The persona of the god/goddess of death is usually harsh and unpitying but not unjust.

Both mythologies have a guardian to the underworld. In Greek mythology, it is the boatman Charon, who carries you across the River Styx when you are ready to die. In Māori mythology, Te Kuwatawata guards the entrance to the underworld.

Demigods and man's own will

Both mythologies have a famous demigod. Hercules was the demigod of the Greeks. He completed twelve extrahuman labours. Māui is the famous demigod of Māori mythology, who caught the sun in his net crafted with flax fibres and fished up the North Island, Te Ika-ā-Māui. These demigods challenged the supremacy of the gods, showing man could take control of his own destiny.