The Legend of Rupe explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Mythology and Religious Belief

  The ascent through ten heavens, the role of Rehua as a divine ancestor, and the use of incantations highlight spiritual and cosmological beliefs.

• Heroism and Nobility

  Rupe's determined quest to find his sister, his ascent through the heavens, and his clever rescue demonstrate heroic qualities.

Characters to notice

• Hinauri

  Lost at sea, rescued by Ihuatamai and Ihuwareware, later wife of Tinirau, kills his other wives with an incantation, rescued by her brother Rupe.

• Rupe

  Originally named Māuimua, transforms into a pigeon, ascends through ten heavens to consult Rehua, rescues his sister Hinauri.

• Tinirau

  Chief who takes Hinauri as his wife, lives on Motutapu, father of Hinauri's child.

• Rehua

  Ancestor dwelling in the tenth heaven, provides hospitality to Rupe, his hair produces tui birds.

• Māuimua

  Original name of Rupe before transformation.

Key passages

• “For many months she floated through the sea, and was at last thrown up by the surf on the beach at a place named Wairarawa; she was there found, lying as if dead, upon the sandy shore, by two brothers named Ihuatamai and Ihuwareware; her body was in many parts overgrown with seaweed and barnacles, from the length of time she had been in the water, but they could still see some traces of her beauty, and pitying the young girl, they lifted her up in their arms, and carried her home to their house, and laid her down carefully by the side of a fire, and scraped off very gently the seaweed and barnacles from her body, and thus by degrees restored her.”

  Hinauri drifted at sea for months until she washed ashore at Wairarawa, where two brothers found her nearly dead, covered in seaweed and barnacles. They carried her home, gently cleaned her, and revived her by the fire.

  Describes Hinauri's rescue and recovery.

• “Rupe continued his ascent, seeking everywhere hastily for Rehua; at last, he reached a place where people were dwelling, and when he saw them, he spoke to them, saying, 'Are the heavens above this inhabited?' and the people dwelling there answered him, 'They are inhabited.' And he asked them, 'Can I reach those heavens?' and they replied, 'You cannot reach them, the heavens above these are those the boundaries of which were fixed by Tāne.' But Rupe forced a way up through those heavens, and got above them, and found an inhabited place; and he asked the inhabitants of it, saying 'Are the heavens above these inhabited?' and the people answered him, 'They are inhabited.' And he again asked, 'Do you think I can reach them?' and they replied, 'No, you will not be able to reach them, those heavens were fixed there by Tāne.' Rupe, however, forced a way through those heavens too, and thus he continued to do until he reached the tenth heaven, and there he found the abode of Rehua.”

  Rupe ascended through multiple heavens, each time asking the inhabitants if the next level was inhabited and if he could reach it. Despite being told it was impossible because Tāne had fixed the boundaries, he forced his way through until he reached the tenth heaven, where Rehua lived.

  Describes Rupe's persistent ascent through the heavens.

• “When Rehua saw a stranger approaching, he went forward and gave him the usual welcome, lamenting over him; Rehua made his lamentation without knowing who the stranger was, but Rupe in his lament made use of prayers by which he enabled Rehua to guess who he was.”

  Rehua welcomed the stranger with a traditional lament, not recognizing him at first, but Rupe's prayers in his own lament helped Rehua identify him.

  Describes the initial encounter between Rupe and Rehua.

• “Rupe, who was displeased at seeing this, one day said to Rehua, 'Oh, Rehua, they leave this courtyard of yours in a very filthy state;' and then he added, 'Your people are such a set of lazy rogues, that if every mess of dirt was a lizard, I doubt if they could even take the trouble to touch its tail to make it run away,' and this saying passed into a proverb.”

  Rupe criticized the uncleanliness of Rehua's courtyard and the laziness of his people, coining a proverb about their unwillingness to even chase away a lizard.

  Rupe's complaint leads to a proverb.

• “He then added a building to Rehua's dwelling, but fixing one of the beams of it badly, Rehua's son, Kaitangata, was one day killed from hanging on to this beam, which giving way and springing back, he was thrown down and died, and his blood running about over part of the heavens, stained them, and formed what we now call a ruddiness in the sky; when, therefore, a red and ruddy tinge is seen in the heavens, men say, 'Ah! Kaitangata stained the heavens with his blood.'”

  Rupe built an addition to Rehua's house but secured a beam poorly. Rehua's son Kaitangata later hung on it, causing it to break and spring back, killing him. His blood stained the sky, creating the red tinge seen at times, which people attribute to Kaitangata.

  Explains the origin of the red sky.