Ahoeitu (' Aho'eitu ) - in Tongan mythology, the son of the god Tangaloa Eitumatupua and a mortal woman named Ilahaheva Vaepopua . He became the first representative of the royal thujong dynasty around the beginning of the X century , having overthrown the former ruler with the same name, but not of divine origin, from the throne.
Content
Journey to Heaven
As a child, Ahoeeitu once asked his mother, who was a simple woman, about his father. She replied to Ahoeith that his father was a god who lives in heaven. When the child grew up, he decided to find a father. His mother took him to a huge casaurin . Scrambling over it, Ahoeheitu found a father who caught pigeons. Eitumatupua invited his son to eat and drink cava in his house. Subsequently, he sent Achoheita to his other sons, who lived in heaven. But when they found out that Ahoeitu was also the son of Eitumatupua, they got jealous, tore it to pieces and ate everything except the head, which was thrown onto the plant, which has since become poisonous.
After some time, Eitumatupua sent his wife for Achoheita, but she returned without him. The father went to his sons and, realizing that something bad had happened, began to tickle their throat, thus causing vomiting. Finding all parts of Achoheita except the head, he sent a messenger to look for his head and bones. All this was put in one bowl. Then Eitumatupua poured water into it and threw the healing leaves of a Malay apple . A few days later, at this bowl, which was exhibited near the house, Ahoeeitu was alive.
After this, Eitumatupua punished his sons by saying that they were ordered to live in heaven and were forbidden to descend to earth, and Ahoeheit was appointed king of Tonga. However, after some time, the brothers repented and asked their father to let them go with their younger brother. Eitumatupua forgave the sons, but allowed them to become only servants of Achoheit.
Royal lineage
The elder brothers of Ahoeeitu were:
- Talafale. He wore the titles Tui Faleua (translated from the Tongan language as “the king of the second house” ), as well as Tui Pelehake .
- Matakehe. He and his other brothers were supposed to defend the thuja tonga.
- Maliepo.
- Tui Loloko.
- Tui Folah.
The name Ahoeitu for many centuries has been used by other representatives of the royal dynasty, for example, a member of the Tongou royal family Tupoutoa Lavaka ( Ahoeeitu Unuakiotong Tukuaho ).
Literature
- RD Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology (Greenwood Press: New York, 1989), 2-3;
- N. Rutherford, Friendly Islands: History of Tonga (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1977), 27-8.
- EW Gifford; Tongan myths and tales , BPB Bulletin 8 ; 1924