The Fight Between the Octopus and the Whale

 The Fight Between the Octopus and the Whale 

(A Legend from Yap)

A long time ago, in the ocean near Yap, an octopus saw whale and swam along beside him. That made the whale angry. 

“Why don’t you show me respect?” he roared. “Why do you swim along with me? You're only an octopus. I’m a whale, the king of the sea. You ought to swim behind me!” 

The octopus swam along as before. “I’m as important as you are,” he said. “All the fish of the sea are afraid of me.” 

“Is that so!”’ exclaimed the whale. ‘Well, I’m not afraid of anything that swims in the ocean, not even you!” 

They kept on quarreling. At last, the octopus said, “To settle this, let’s have a fight and see who is stronger. You name the day.” 

“Three months from today!” said the whale. “I'll send you word by my messenger fish, when I’m ready.” 

“Very well,” said the octopus, and he swam away. 

The whale did nothing to get ready for the fight, except to eat a great deal and grow larger. But the octopus was busy. He took from the bottom of the sea the blackest mud that he could find. He kept it in his body, even in his eyes, his ears, and his nose. Then, one day, the messenger fish came and told him that the whale would fight him the next day. 

“I’m ready,” said the octopus. 

The next day, the octopus saw the whale, who was making a great deal of noise, spouting up air and water high into the sky. 

“I'll tease him first,”’ said the octopus. He called out, ‘‘Oh, here you come, and I’m so frightened! I’m only a little girl octopus, who can’t fight very well. I’m afraid, oh, so afraid of vou !’’ 

In that way, he got the whale to come close to him. The whale was so sure of winning the fight that he was easily fooled. 

Suddenly, the octopus squirted out some of the black mud that he had in his body. He squirted it into the water, which turned black. The whale could no longer see his enemy. They had a big fight. They pushed up waves, mountain high. 

The whale hit at the octopus with his head. He struck at him with his front flippers. He swung his tail high up in the air and then smacked it down hard on the water. But where was the octopus? The whale couldn’t see him. He smacked and whacked and hit only the sea. The octopus moved around very fast and kept out of the way, squirting the black fluid all the time. 

When all the water around the whale was quite black, the octopus swam up to his enemy. He put his long, strong tentacles around the whale’s great body, around his flippers and tail, his ears, his eyes, his mouth—wherever he could get a good hold. 

The whale fought fiercely. He smacked down his heavy tail, but he could not shake off his enemy. The octopus held him tightly. Then he pushed the whale against a large rock in the ocean and held him there. He squeezed until the whale was dead. 

“This will show who is king of the sea,” he said. 

From that day, the octopus has black fluid always ready for a fight. But nobody calls him the “king of the sea,” for he doesn’t look or act like a king. He is known as the ““pirate of the sea,” and that is entirely different. 

Source

Legends of Micronesia (Book One)

Eve Grey

1951

Pages: 15-16

The Crab and the Needlefish

 The Crab and the Needlefish

(A Legend from Nomoi Islands, Chuuk)

Fish is a favorite food in the Pacific Islands. When it has been wrapped in green leaves and baked among hot stones, it is delicious. But the children of the Mortlock Islands, in the Truk District, sometimes will not eat needlefish, for it has a bitter taste.

“Never mind, it’s good food,” their parents say. Then they tell the children why the needlefish tastes bitter.

The needlefish is smooth and slender, and he can swim very fast. He has a long, sharp needle sticking out in front, ready to spear anything that gets in his way.

One day, the needlefish saw a tiny sand crab crawling along the beach. The needlefish made fun of the crab.

"How slow and clumsy you are!” he said. "Watch me. See how fast I move through the water.” He swam and dived and turned about with great speed.

The little crab watched the needlefish for a while, and then he said, “You're fast, needlefish, and I’m very slow, that’s true. But just the same, I feel sure that I can beat you, if we have a race along the shore.”

“Foolish talk!’’ cried the needlefish. “How could you beat me in a race? I go like lightning, and you crawl so slowly.”

The little crab said, "Let's have a race tomorrow morning. We'll start here, beside this rock. I'll race you to the big maras tree that stands at the edge of the water, far down on the beach. You can swim in the water, and Pll crawl along on land.”

The needlefish laughed and laughed, but he agreed to race with the little crab. ‘‘You’re so tiny,” he said. "How shall I know where you are?”

“That will be very easy,” replied the crab. "Just call to me, now and then, and I'll answer you.”

The needlefish swam away, still laughing.

Now the sand crab was small, but he was clever. He crawled along the beach all night long, telling his crab friends about the race. "The needlefish boasts too much. I want to teach him a lesson,” he said.

He asked his friends to sit at different places near the water. They would be a few yards apart from each other, all the way between the rock and the maras tree.

“Tomorrow, the needlefish will call to me,” he said, "to find out where I am. Each time he calls, one of you must answer for me. The needlefish will think that it is I who am ahead of him all the way.”

The crab’s friends thought it was a wonderful idea. They agreed to do what he asked.

Next morning, the little crab and the needlefish met at the rock and began the race. The needlefish swam off like lightning, but the little sand crab sat still. ‘‘It’s my turn to laugh,” he said, and so he laughed.

Before long, the needlefish called out from the water, “Crab, crab, where are you?”

On the shore, a small voice answered, “Here I am, just ahead of you!”

The needlefish was so surprised that he nearly jumped out of the water. He swam faster than ever. After a while, he called out again, “Crab, crab, where are you?” 

Again a crab voice replied, “Here I am, just ahead of you!"

That time, the needlefish nearly broke himself in two, trying to swim still faster in the water. He kept on calling out, “Crab, crab, where are you?”  And always, there was a little voice saying, “Here I am, just ahead of you!”

The needlefish was nearly out of his mind with anger. He raced so fast that the water whirled around him. When he reached the maras tree, there sat a little sand crab with a shell on his back. He was not at all tired.

“Well, needlefish, are you here at last?” said the crab.

The needlefish nearly burst with anger. He sprang out of the water with such force that his long needle stuck in the maras tree. There he hung for a long time. At last, he got the needle out again and dropped back into the water.

He swam away, feeling foolish. He tried to forget about the race, but he couldn’t, for some of the bitter juice of the maras tree was in his mouth. It stayed there, to teach him not to boast too much.

Ever since that day, the flesh of the needlefish has had a bitter taste. As the Trukese people say, “Much me sop me teremeimei,”or, “That’s the end of the story.”

Source

Legends of Micronesia (Book One)

Eve Grey

1951

Pages: 7-9

How Nan Madol was Built

How Nan Madol was Built

(A Legend from Pohnpei)

Magicians, semi-magicians, and sometime-magicians were not unfamiliar to early Pohnpeians. And so it wasn’t with complete surprise that Pohnpeians, a thousand or so years ago, accepted the brothers Olsihpa and Olsohpa upon their arrival at the end of a long voyage to the island. The brothers had sailed from the west, “a place down-wind,” that cannot now be positively identified. They arrived in either a single large vessel or perhaps with a fleet of canoes because it is known that they were accompanied by many companions. It was obvious that Olsihpa and Olsohpa had magical powers. They were wise and daring and were able to speak the local language when they landed. It was assumed that they were related to sacred people. The two young men, in their twenties at the time, were allowed to land on Pohnpei without opposition. The reasons for which Olsihpa and Olsohpa came to the island were to locate a site and build a place for worship, and also to unite the people under a single ruler who would preside at the sacred site. At that time, the island was ruled by numerous clan leaders who were constantly feuding.

The brothers first attempted a settlement at Sokehs in the northwest, but it was unsuccessful. Then they moved eastward to a place off of Nett, but this site also proved to be unsuitable. They then moved to U at Likirmoli, but the area was too wavy and windy to build a settlement. Then the brothers climbed Pelohlap Mountain to survey the island. From its height, they saw what appeared to be a stone stairway that led down into the depth at Nankapw Harbor to the entrance of an underwater city occupied by gods. When the people saw that the brothers were blessed with such a vision, they all gathered to help in the sacred project. The settlement would be built in the water for several reasons. It should be near to the eel Nan Somohl, who was the earth figure of a god in the sky, and the settlement should be protected from attacks by its numerous channels. It would contain many islands for defense, and also have battlements. From the safety of stone walls on dry islands, the defenders could easily defeat water-borne attackers. The canals could also be used for transportation.

The first large rock placed at the Nan Madol site was a four-sided slab of basalt which was named Pehirahni. It was erected so that its edges faced the cardinal points of the compass, and was used as a surveying base for other islets. The sea, however, was a constant tormentor and attempts to construct a breakwater were washed away by waves. Through supernatural power, a large basalt rock with magic qualities flew over the mountains of Pohnpei from Sokehs and landed at the breakwater. It provided an immovable foundation around which the sea barrier was built. Some large basalt rocks were rafted to the site while others flew there by magical means. The spaces between the basalt slabs were packed with coral rubble available on the reef in the immediate area. Generations of Pohnpeians engaged in the effort until the islets were finally built. It took more than a hundred years from beginning to completion of the settlement. Because of their magic, the brothers Olsihpa and Olsohpa aged slower than other people. Despite this, Olsihpa died and did not see the completion of the work he had started with his brother. Each of the islands, when finished, provided a special function that, in some way, had religious significance.

When the building of Nan Madol was completed, the surviving brother, Olsohpa, also died, and with him died the rule of the island by many feuding clan chiefs. Thus, the second era of Pohnpeian history, the period of rule by single royal leaders, the Saudeleurs, began on the sacred islets of Olsihpa and Olsohpa at Nan Madol.

Source

Pohnpei, an Island Argosy

Gene Ashby

1993

Pages: 240-242

The Man-Eating Lizard

The Man-Eating Lizard

(A Legend from Kosrae)

This story is about the big lizard who lived in a cave near Okat Harbor. This lizard was a flesh-eater, and this lizard was very big. Also because she was a flesh-eater, she killed the interest of the people on the other side of Kusaie* from going there. Besides that, she lived right at the mouth of a passage leading from the land down into this harbor, Okat Harbor. And whenever she saw people coming, she counted the number of people in certain canoes or boats that were coming by. She figured out the number of people there were coming; then she would say, “I’ll eat three and leave three go.” This was how she was doing this business. And she kept doing this, eating the people, especially those people in Tafunsak, because it was Tafunsak where she was staying.

Kosrae 1899

Finally one day a group of men from all Kusaie Island called a meeting and decided they should kill this big lizard, instead of letting her keep growing and growing, killing the people of Kusaie and cutting the population of the place at that time. So the rest of the people agreed with this meeting and it was agreed that there would be some men to represent all four villages in Kusaie to go kill that big lizard. Then all those who were expert in making boats or canoes got together and decided on the very best type of design for the canoe that could go fast enough in the water that the lizard couldn't get the people in the canoe, those people that would represent the whole Kusaiean people in going to kill the lizard. There would be eight people in the canoe, two men to represent each village to go in this canoe. It was made according to the number of people that would represent the Kusaiean people to go kill this big lizard. And the canoe was made with the best design that the canoe experts knew that could go faster in the water than that lizard would.

When the day came for these people to go kill this lizard, the people were putting on some kind of traditional costumes, some kind of special clothes, different than the ordinary clothes that people wore every day during their daily activities. When this canoe shoved off from the land, there was music; all different kinds of old cultural things, or whatever you might say, were done by the people who remained on the land watching this canoe as it shoved off from the land and started on this trip to go kill the big lizard.     

Finally, when this monster lizard caught sight of this canoe coming up, she counted the number of people and there were eight people coming. So that monster lizard said, "Okay, I’ll take four and leave four free." When those people in the canoe came close to that big cave where the monster lizard was staying, the canoe went faster than when it was first shoved down into the water. The closer it came, the faster it went, because it was getting closer to the place where the monster lizard was living.

When the canoe reached the place where that cave was, they were shouting and trying to do something to attract the lizard to come after them. Then that monster lizard got into the water, started swimming after this canoe. These people kept paddling and paddling until they went over into the ocean. They went beyond the reef. They had already gone out from the harbor. And this lizard kept following them. The canoe went very fast because these people were the expert paddlers among the Kusaieans. They could paddle stronger and faster than anybody else could.

When they were about halfway into the ocean, that lizard, monster lizard, went slower and slower, and finally she was drowned. When these people came back, they cut some part of this lizard out and took it back to where the villagers were waiting, Tafunsak, where those people were staying, making a traditional feast, waiting for them to see if they were going to kill it. At the time they took one part of this big monster lizard, the blood of the lizard spread over the place where she was drowned and attracted all the fish in that part where she was thrown. The fish started fighting over her body.

And this story names some of the fish that were called in. We are still using some of those names today for those fish that participated in eating the body of this big lizard. And the people of Kusaie were just more than happy with those eight experts who killed this lizard.

* Former name of Kosrae

Source

Micronesian Folktales

Roger E. Mitchell

1973

Pages: 51-52

The Island of the Dolphin Girls

The Island of the Dolphin Girls

(A Legend from Losap Atoll, Chuuk)

There was once a chief’s son named Anoun Farrang. He was of the Lugenfanu clan, from Farrang, near Chuuk. He liked to sail with adult men from Losap to Chuuk. The ends of the sailing canoe were beautiful, like swans' necks reaching up toward the sky. The navigator was teaching him how to steer the canoe. Soon he would know enough and would become a man like them. He was practising with the tiller when a group of playful dolphins swam up to the canoe.

Losap Atoll, Chuuk State, Caroline Islands 

Ah, but they only appeared to be dolphins-they were really girls! They were quite taken with the chief’s son. “He’s so handsome,” they cried to one another. One very bold girl swam straight at the canoe. She leapt up, lashed her strong, grey tail, and knocked the boy overheard! The men didn't hear the splash or see the brown legs of the boy disappear into the dark blue water. And because the sea was gentle that day, they didn’t even notice that no one was steering the canoe.

The boy wasn't frightened. He said a chant to ask his magic powers to show him which direction to swim-north, south, east, or west. But his magic powers didn't answer. Then he said the chant again. His magic told him to dive straight down into the sea.

Down, down he swam. Finally, he came to a lush island covered with shady trees and flowers of every colour. In the middle of the island was a large pool-clean and deep and inviting! The boy hid in the bushes to see if the pool belonged to anyone. For a long time, he waited. Then the dolphins came. They dove from the salt water of the ocean into the clear fresh water of the pool. The boy stayed hidden in the bushes, watching. A dolphin climbed out of the pool and began taking off her skin. She turned into a beautiful girl. Then all the other dolphins did the same. They threw their skins into a big pile.

The box' was full of mischief. When the girls were splashing and laughing, he grabbed a skin. He made sure to grab the skin of the prettiest girl. Later, the girls put their skins back on and once again were dolphins. The prettiest girl looked everywhere but could not find her skin. She ran around and around, looking under every rock, looking up into the trees. She ran her hands down her girl's body over and over as if her precious skin were there. Finally, the other dolphins swam back into the ocean. The poor girl was left all alone.

The boy came out from where he had been hiding in the tall grass. “What's the matter?" he asked her.

“I lost my skin," she said. Tears spilt down her rosy cheeks.

At this, the boy felt such pity he gave her skin back. “Why did you do that?" she cried. "Why did you take it?”

Because I wanted to talk to you.” he said. He was sorry and not sorry.

“Oh," she said, staring at him. “Where did you come from?"

The boy told her about the voyage from Losap to Chuuk. He told how the dolphins had swum by and how one of them had knocked him out of the canoe. And how he had found the undersea island and the pool and the prettiest dolphin-girl.

“Oh dear,” she said. “I knocked you out of the canoe! I guess I’m like you- I wanted to make sure I could talk to you." They looked at each other and laughed.

The girl invited the boy to visit her house. While they were there, they heard the dolphins dive into the freshwater pool. "Uh oh," the girl said. “They’ll come here next. Quick, I'll hide you!" She hid the boy under a pile of woven mats. Soon the girls arrived. “So there you are,” they said. “We’ve been looking all over for you.”

Another girl said, “It smells funny here. Like a human.”

The prettiest girl laughed. “Oh, you’re just smelling me. I smell funny because I've been stuck on land all day."

“No,” said the other girls. “It's not you. You're trying to trick us. Tell us who’s here!"

They wouldn't stop asking questions. Finally, the prettiest girl said. “Well then, what If someone is here? What are you going to do?”

“We'll be nice,” said one.

“We'll marry him,” said another.

“We'll take him swimming every day,” said a third.

“All right. He’s under the mats." The group of girls tore off the mats and found the boy.

“He’s so handsome!" they cried out. “Where did you find him?"

“What a good friend to have,” said one.

“Such a handsome husband," said another.

“Let’s take him swimming!” suggested the third.

They decided that the boy should stay in the house and someone should stay with him. The others would gather food. They liked to eat fresh, delicious fruits and vegetables-taro, pineapple, coconut, papaya-but they didn’t know how to cook. They ate everything raw. The boy rubbed sticks together until a spark appeared. Using twigs and dried leaves, he lit a fire. Then he roasted every food and made special mixtures-roasted coconut and mashed banana. He taught them how much better food tasted after it was cooked. This made them even happier they had found him.

Many days went by. When the prettiest girl came again to stay with the boy, he said. “I want to go home. I miss my parents and my island.”

When the other girls heard this, they cried many salty tears. "We want you to live here with us."

“I’m sorry. I need to go. My family is worrying about me. They must think I’m dead. I will try to come back here, but you must let me go home."

They held a farewell feast for the boy. He taught them some medicine especially for dolphins, using plants found near their bathing place. They would know how to cure themselves if they got sick. Then they built a special cage and piled their best foods inside. The boy climbed in and sat among the breadfruits and watermelons, loquats and mangos. How sweet and delicious it smelled! The dolphins lifted the cage onto their backs. Moving their tails up and down, up and down, they pushed the cage upward through the sea. They swam all the way back to Losap with the boy inside the cage.

When they entered Losap's lagoon, the people on that atoll cried. “Look! A great canoe is coming!" The dolphins pushed the cage closer and closer. Finally, the people could see that the canoe was actually a cage. When they saw the chief’s son inside, they yelled with joy. The people of Losap were happy that day. Gladly they accepted the gifts from the dolphin-girls, especially the gift of a human life.

Source

Pacific Island Legends: Tales from Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia and Australia.

Nancy Bo Flood, Beret E. Strong, William Flood

1991

Pages: 59 - 63

K’ow and Buneney

K’ow and Buneney

(A Tale from Yap)

In a time long ago, the people of Yap could change their form. They could become an animal, or even a plant if they wished.

Yap Island

One vain young woman decided to become a Buneney, an elegant white crane.

The Buneney was beautiful, with glistening white feathers and a graceful long neck. She used her long neck often, especially to look at her reflection in the still pools of water near the lagoon.

“My, I am truly beautiful!” she would announce. I deserve to marry a handsome man.”

White Crane

Day after day, Buneney spent her mornings looking at herself in her water mirror. She did not notice the shy grey crane, K’ow, who watched her from beneath the coconut palms.

Many young men of the village wished to marry the beautiful Buneney. She refused them all. “You men of this village are too plain for me. I must marry an especially elegant man.”

One by one the men went away, muttering about the proud Buneney. But K'ow continued to watch. Every day he brought her gifts of fish and fresh food. She never once said. “Thank you." In fact, she did not even seem to notice K’ow.

One day Molob, the great black frigate bird, came to this village on Yap. He had heard of the beautiful Buneney. He wished to see her for himself. Now Molob was a large and handsome bird. His kind is rarely seen near the land. He prefers to soar far above the ocean, almost in the clouds themselves.

Buneney was beside herself. Molob was so handsome! Molob was so big. And Molob had asked Buneney to be his wife.

“Oh, yes!” Buneney replied. “I will soar with you. We can look down on these lowly villagers together.”

Buneney was a land crane so she could not fly high. Molob was very large and very strong. He placed Buneney on his broad back. Together they soared high into the sky.

Far below, little K’ow wiped the tears from his eyes. He went back to gathering fish and food for his supper. He missed the white crane. He loved her and did not even mind that she never spoke to him. Now she was gone.

Molob and Buneney flew higher than Buneney had ever imagined. The land below looked like a toy. She could hardly see the people at all. “This is the life, Molob. Yes, this is the life!"

After a time, Buneney was beginning to feel a little tired. "Molob," she asked, “Where is our home to be?"

“This is our home," replied Molob. “I live here in the sky. Do you like your new home?"

“Well,” answered Buneney, “I think so. But I do miss my nest on the ground a little bit.”

Later, as they flew higher and higher, Buneney found herself feeling a bit hungry. On the ground, when she felt hungry she just opened her mouth. That nice grey crane, K'ow, was always right there to pop in a fresh fish. Maybe Melob would be nice too?

“Molob, my husband."

“Yes, Buneney?"

“What is there to eat, in this magnificent home in the sky?"

“Eat? Why just open your mouth, my wife, and fly to the east."

Buneney opened her mouth and flew toward the east. Nothing happened.

“I am still hungry," she said.

“Open your mouth and fly toward the west this time.”

She did, but still, nothing happened. She was getting very hungry.

“Husband, I am very hungry, and I cannot find anything to eat.”

“But Buneney,” Molob answered. “I eat only the air. Isn't it delicious?”

But Molob," Bnneney wailed, “I eat fish and taro. I cannot eat your air.

I am sorry, Buneney. These foods are strange to me. I do not have any of them here.

“Then please," Buneney begged, “take me back to the earth before I am too weak and die.”

Molob the frigate bird took Buneney back to the earth. He put her down on a beach not far from her home. Then he launched himself back into the air and was gone.

Buneney was so week she could hardly move. Nearby she saw a small fish trap. There were some fish caught in the trap. She did not see K‘ow, the owner of the trap, sitting nearby on a rock. She took a fish.

“Who is stealing my fish?" K'ow demanded, pretending not to see Buneney.

“Oh please," begged Buneney, “I am starving. Please let me have a little food."

“All right,” answered K’ow. “Since you are hungry I will give you coconut to drink and fish to eat.” He also gave her taro to eat and betel nut to chew.

Buneney ate. She looked gratefully at the grey crane. How kind he was. How strong he looked as he gathered the fish and brought her taro.

“K'ow, I am sorry I was so mean to you. I see you are a good provider. You have a caring heart. I would like to marry you if you will still have me."

K'ow was overjoyed. “Remember,” he counselled, “The wind does not always blow from the same direction.” Which is to say that one should think twice before leaping. Buneney knew this now. She had leaped far into the air and had almost died. Now she would stay on the ground.

K'ow and Buneney lived happily together for many years. They had many children. And Buneney always had plenty to eat.

Source:

Pacific Island Legends: Tales from Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia and Australia.

Nancy Bo Flood, Beret E. Strong, William Flood

1991

Pages: 56-58

How to Steal the Moon

How to Steal the Moon

(A Tale from the Caroline Islands)

Long ago, the chief of a tiny atoll in the Central Caroline Islands had a beautiful daughter. She was so beautiful she refused to marry the young men of her island. Her father worried about her, especially at night, when he would gaze at the moon. He loved the moon. Then he had an idea: he would gather the people of the island together and find someone clever enough to bring it down from the sky. Such a person would be worthy of his daughter.

At the chief's meeting, a boy appeared. He claimed he could deliver to his chief the glowing white moon. He was from a poor family, but the chief didn't mind. “Give it your best try," he told him. So the boy went home to ask his mother's advice.

There is a path that leads to the moon," his mother said. “It's invisible except to those who are walking on it. One end reaches to the beach where the bent palm tree grows. Go there and reach up with your arms. Like this." His mother stood as tall as she could and reached into the sky. “A power like the wind will lift you up. Then the path will grow solid under your feet. It glitters like golden flecks in the sand. Follow the path all the way to the moon.”

The boy did as his mother instructed. He walked all the way up to the moon. On the way, he passed several people sitting by the edge of the path. They gave him many gifts: two plovers, two roosters, one pandanus fruit, and a hibiscus stick.

When he reached heaven, the boy entered a men's house that was taboo for humans. Inside sat Yalulep, the Carolinian high god. And there, hanging from the ridgepole, was the moon! The moon belonged to Yalulep. How could the boy get it away from him?

He began to tell stories to Yalulep‘s guards, who were sitting outside the meeting house. They were beautiful, sweet stories. One by one the guards fell asleep. Then the boy sneaked back inside Yalulep’s house and untied the moon. He hid its bright side against his body so no light would spill. Then he crept back outside as quietly as he could. When he was far enough away, he ran as fast as he could hack to earth!

Yalulep yelled with rage when he discovered he had been robbed. He sent a fast runner to chase after the boy. Fast, fast, they ran, wind whistling in their ears. The runner was faster than the boy. Just as he lunged for the boy's heels, the boy untied the two plovers he had been given on the walk up to the sky. Right away they began to fight! The runner couldn’t help it-he sat down to watch. The boy ran on.

The runner soon realized the boy was escaping, so he got up and chased him. Soon he was so close the boy could feel his hot breath on his neck! Then the boy untied the roosters and let them go. They began to peck each other's eyes out. The runner couldn’t help it-this he had to see. He decided to take the roosters for himself. He wrapped his hands around the roosters' throats and ran back to heaven.

Yalulep was angry. “You greedy rooster-grabber!" he yelled. He called his fastest runner of all, who ran as fast as the wind. “Catch that boy who stole my moon," he yelled. How fast the fastest runner caught the boy! The boy felt his hand tighten around his ankle. Just as he began to fall, the boy threw down the pandanus fruit. A huge jungle of pandanus sprang up, thick as the stars in the heavens! The boy was on one side of this spiny jungle, and the runner was on the other. Yalulep’s runner didn’t have a machete. He could barely crawl through the thick, spiky plants. Soon his hands and feet were covered with blood.

The boy was nearly back on earth. Oh no! The fastest runner came out of the pandanus jungle and grabbed him by the hair! The boy threw down the hibiscus stick. Again a jungle sprang up. This time the boy made it safely home. His mother welcomed him with delicious fish and breadfruit.

The boy went to the chief’s house. Proudly, he handed him the glowing sphere. But he warned the chief that he must follow his mother's words exactly.“Do not take the covers off the moon," he said.

The chief considered these words and nodded. “Now you have earned my blessing to marry my daughter," the chief said.

Alas, the chief could not resist his curiosity. What could be so wrong with peeling off just one layer of the glowing moon? So one day he peeled back the thinnest outer layer of the moon. It grew brighter and more beautiful, like the golden inside of a mango. So he peeled off another. And another. What was wrong with brightness? What was wrong with beauty? Uh oh-the chief took off all of the covers.

The moon slipped from his hands, as slippery as a fish. The bright, beautiful moon, the dazzling moon, flew off to its home in the sky. The chief was very sad about this. He called the boy to ask for advice. “There's nothing I can do,” said the boy. “It is better this way. Now everyone who looks up will know that this moon belongs to you." The chief nodded. He hadn't thought of it that way.

After that, the chief was happy. He watched his moon each night, like a glowing ring in the ear of the sky.

Source:

Pacific Island Legends: Tales from Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia and Australia.

Nancy Bo Flood, Beret E. Strong, William Flood

1991

Pages: 51 - 54