Samoan Mythology
Also known as: Myths and Legends of Samoa
A 19th-century compilation of Samoan myths and legends, preserving oral traditions of creation, gods, heroes, and culture heroes in Polynesian Samoa.
Description
George Turner’s *Samoan Mythology* (1884) is a foundational record of Polynesian oral traditions as told in Samoa. The work presents cosmogonies, tales of Tagaloa and Tangaloa, culture heroes such as Pili and Nafanua, accounts of sacred places, and genealogical lore that links human clans to divine ancestors. Turner sought to preserve stories he heard directly from Samoan informants, recording them in English for missionary and scholarly audiences. While influenced by his Christian missionary context, the text remains one of the most detailed 19th-century sources on Samoan traditional religion and mythology. The book includes stories of creation, divine struggles, heroic exploits, and cultural rituals, preserving mythic structures that connect Samoa to broader Polynesian mythic patterns.
Historiography
Turner’s work was compiled from oral recitations during his missionary stay in Samoa. First published in 1884 in London, it is one of the earliest systematic English-language collections of Samoan myths. While valuable for preserving traditions that were otherwise vulnerable to colonial and missionary suppression, his interpretations were filtered through Christian categories and Victorian ethnography. Later Samoan scholars and anthropologists have revisited these myths, recontextualizing them within indigenous worldviews.
Date Notes
Collected and translated by George Turner in the 19th century from oral traditions still active in Samoa
Major Characters
- Tagaloa
- Māui (Tiʻitiʻi)
- Nafanua
- Saveasiʻuleo
- Sina
Myths
- Tagaloa Creates the World
- Māui Raises the Sky
- Tafa‘i’s Quests
- Nafanua the War Goddess
- Sina and the Eel
Facts
- First published in London in 1884 by George Turner.
- Based on oral traditions recounted to Turner during his missionary years in Samoa.
- Includes creation myths, genealogies, and heroic tales.
- Preserves stories of deities like Tagaloa, the Polynesian sky god.
- Records the myth of Nafanua, a powerful Samoan goddess of war and peace.
- Details the myth of Tilafaiga and Taema introducing tattooing to Samoa.
- Connects Samoan myths to wider Polynesian traditions, including parallels with Maori and Hawaiian mythologies.
- One of the earliest systematic English-language records of Samoan religion.
- Influenced by Christian missionary context but retains authentic oral voices.
- Frequently cited in Polynesian mythological studies and ethnographies.