Whiro- Polynesian GodDeity"Lord of Darkness"
Also known as: Whiro-te-tipua
Description
When Tāne climbed to the heavens for the three baskets of knowledge, Whiro sent swarms of insects and hostile creatures to stop him. The lord of darkness fought to keep the world in ignorance. Every illness is one of his emissaries, every death another spirit added to his domain.
Mythology & Lore
The Retreat to Te Pō
Whiro was among the children of Rangi and Papa, sky father and earth mother. When Tāne forced his parents apart and let light flood the space between them, Whiro opposed it. He had preferred the original darkness. Elsdon Best records that when the separation could not be reversed, Whiro withdrew to Te Pō, the underworld, and made it his domain.
From there he sends disease into the world of the living. Best recorded that in Māori understanding, illnesses were emissaries of Whiro, spiritual incursions from the darkness. Reptiles and creatures of shadow served as his agents. Every death strengthened his realm by adding another spirit to it.
The Baskets of Knowledge
In Grey's account, Tāne climbed through the layered heavens to bring back the three baskets of sacred knowledge, ngā kete o te wānanga. Whiro contested the ascent. He sent swarms of insects and hostile creatures against Tāne at every level, trying to tear him from the climb before he reached the top.
Tāne endured the attacks and brought the baskets down to earth. The knowledge passed to humankind. Whiro remained below in Te Pō, and the enmity between darkness and light held.
Relationships
- Family
- Enemy of