Legends of the Mountain




Original painting on display at the Visitor Information Station on Mauna Kea
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PoliŽahu


PoliŽahu, covered in a mantle of snow and ice, is the snow goddess of Mauna Kea. Often she descends the mountain to sit on the rocky cliffs along the Hamakua Coast. It is there that she seduced Aiwohikupua, a young chief from Kauai.

PoliŽahu’s rival, Pele, goddess of volcanoes, stays restlessly away on Mauna Loa. The more fiery of the two, Pele often vents her displays bursting from the earths molten core.