Maori Myths and Tribal Legends

264 Pages·40.318 MB·English

by  Anthony Alpers, Patrick Hanly

retold by
NTONY ALPERS
illustrated by
PATRICK HASlLY
$6.50
MAORI
MYTHS
and TRIBAL
LEGENDS
Retold by Antony Alpers
Illustrated by Patrick Hanly
The Maori people — those Polynesians
who migrated to the cooler islands of
New Zealand and became its first inhabi-
tants — have over the centuries developed
a mythology that matches their own great
qualities. They have a Creation myth of
surpassing beauty, a pantheon of gods
and heroes worthy of the Greeks, and a
store of splendid tribal histories that re-
cord their wars and the epic journeys they
made across the southern ocean to escape
them — as they thought.
Previous English versions of these myths
have been bowdlerized and watered
down, but in this book Antony Alpers
preserves all the racy vitality of the origi-
nals, with their mixture of humor and
violence, tenderness and tragedy, and
above all their superb artistry. He care-
fully avoids telling the legends from a
Western point of view. He retains the
original spirit of the Maori, yet American
readers will be astonished to recognize
elements common to men of all cultures.
Patrick Hanly, a New Zealander, has
illustrated the legends in a style that blends
Maori myth and Western traditions with
the utmost success. His drawings capture
immediately the spirit of the stories, where
heroes taunt the gods, know enough mag-
ic to transform themselves into animals
when need arises, and generally perform
feats to delight the heart. The rich world
of the Maori is well worth knowing.
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MAORI MYTHS &
TRIBAL LEGENDS
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
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MAORI MYTHS &
TRIBAL LEGENDS
RETOLD BY ANTONY ALPERS
Illustrated by Patrick Hanly
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY BOSTON
The Riverside Press Cambridge
1966
TO JOSEPH CAMPBELL
First American Edition 1966
© Antony Alpers 1964
All rights reserved including the right to reproduce this book
or parts thereof in any form
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 65-19292
Printed in Great Britain