pele

name

1. The Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanos.

   “When Hi‘iaka, Lohi‘au, and her companion began their return trip, the forty days allowed by Pele had passed. Most of Hi‘iaka’s chants during the homeward journey have a recurrent refrain of sorrow, for by now she had a vision of Pele’s treachery.”

   “1989, Hi‘iaka, entry in Robert D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 60, Once there, Hi‘iaka learned that Lohi‘au had died out of grief for the woman (Pele) who had danced before him. Hi‘iaka was able to restore his spirit and life. Now they had [to] face the return voyage, and already the forty days had passed.”

   “Some versions of the Pele myth say that Pele was always fighting with her sister. To separate them, their father exiled Pele to Hawaii.”

   “Later the island was visited by Christian missionaries, and a number of Hawaiians converted to Christianity. Nevertheless, Pele was not forgotten, nor was worship of Pele discontinued. Pele remained a powerful goddess in the eyes of native Hawaiians because of her ongoing unpredictable eruptions that both created and destroyed. Even in modern times, Pele is a feature of Hawaii.”

2. A female given name from Hawaiian.