The Moʻo of Hawaiʻi's Waters
In Hawaiian tradition, giant shape-shifting lizards live in pools, rivers and fishponds. Some are guardians; some are dangerous.
What was reported
Moʻo are lizard spirits of Hawaiian tradition, enormous, dark and glistening, who live in freshwater: pools, waterfalls and the old stone fishponds. Many can take the form of a beautiful woman.
Some moʻo were the guardians of a family or a pond, honoured with offerings, who kept the water and fish healthy. Others, like Kuna, who lived in the Wailuku River at Hilo, were feared; in legend, the demigod Māui killed Kuna to save his mother Hina, and his body became a long rock in the river.
Explanations offered
Hawaii has no large native lizards, so the moʻo may draw on Polynesian memories of crocodiles or monitor lizards from further west. They're part of living Hawaiian belief about water, which was precious and sacred.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- Hilo, Hawaii, USA
- Witnesses
- Native Hawaiian tradition
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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