he Hervey and Society Islands, and the ancient
natives of Hawaii. The Samoans tell the same story without mentioning
the name of Maui. They say that the snare was cast by a child of the sun
itself.

The Polynesian stories of the origin of the sun are worthy of note
before the legend of the change from short to long days is given.

The Tongan Islanders, according to W. W. Gill, tell the story of the
origin of the sun and moon. They say that Vatea (Wakea) and their
ancestor Tongaiti quarreled concerning a child--each claiming it as his
own. In the struggle the child was cut in two. Vatea squeezed and rolled
the part he secured into a ball and threw it away, far up into the
heavens, where it became the sun. It shone brightly as it rolled along
the heavens, and sank down to Avaiki (Hawaii), the nether world. But the
ball came back again and once more rolled across the sky. Tongaiti had
let his half of the child fall on the ground and lie there, until made
envious by the beautiful ball Vatea made.

At last he took the flesh which lay on the ground and made it into a
ball. As the sun sank he threw his ball up into the darkness, and it
rolled along the heavens, but the blood had drained out of the flesh
while it lay upon the ground, therefore it could not become so red and
burning as the sun, and had not life to move so swiftly. It was as white
as a dead body, because its blood was all gone; and it could not make
the darkness flee away as the sun had done. Thus day and night and the
sun and moon always remain with the earth.

The legends of the Society Islands say that a demon in the west became
angry with the sun and in his rage ate it up, causing night. In the same
way a demon from the east would devour the moon, but for some reason
these angry ones could not destroy their captives and were compelled to
open their mouths and let the bright balls come forth once more. In
some places a sacrifice of some one of distinction was needed to placate
the wrath of the devourers and free the balls of light in times of
eclipse.

The moon, pale and dead in appearance, moved slowly; while the sun, full
of life and strength, moved quickly. Thus days were very short and
nights were very long. Mankind suffered from the fierceness of the heat
of the sun and also from its prolonged absence. Day and night were alike
a burden to men. The darkness was so great and lasted so long that
fruits would not ripen.

After Maui had succeeded in thr