Muri-ranga-whenua is an ancestor (grandmother) of the hero Māui in the Māori mythology of New Zealand. She entrusts him with her enchanted jawbone, from which he fashions the weapon and magic fish-hook of his great deeds, notably the fishing up of the North Island and the snaring of the Sun.
Muri-ranga-whenua
Muri-ranga-whenua
6 min read
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Ancestor (often described as a grandmother) of the demigod Māui in Māori mythology
- She gives him her magic jawbone, the central object of Māui's exploits
- From this jawbone, Māui makes the hook with which he fishes up the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui)
- The jawbone also serves as a weapon to trap and slow the Sun in order to lengthen the days
- A figure from a Polynesian oral tradition predating writing, with no precise historical dating
Works & Achievements
Muri-ranga-whenua passes on to Māui her jawbone charged with mana, the source of nearly all his powers.
Using the hook made from the jawbone, Māui hauls up a vast land that became the North Island, a feat made possible by his grandmother's gift.
Wielding the jawbone as a club, Māui slows down the Sun to lengthen the days, another feat achieved with the ancestral weapon.
By recognizing Māui as a descendant, Muri-ranga-whenua embodies the role of the grandmothers who guard power and knowledge within Māori genealogy (whakapapa).
In folklore she became an archetype of the aged ancestor who hands heroes the tools for their feats.
Anecdotes
In Māori tradition, Māui goes to his grandmother Muri-ranga-whenua, who lives alone at the edge of the world. Upon seeing her, he realizes she is very ancient: her belly is already swelling to swallow all who pass by. Māui proves himself cunning and respectful, and that is how he earns her trust.
Muri-ranga-whenua gives Māui her enchanted jawbone (te kauae). This bone will become the weapon and magical tool behind nearly all his feats: he uses it as a hook to pull an island up from the bottom of the ocean and as a club to slow down the Sun.
According to several versions recorded in the 19th century, Māui must wait until his grandmother is starving for her to recognize him as a descendant. Hunger and food play a major role in the tale: it is by bringing her something to eat that he proves his kinship and obtains the gift of the jawbone.
Māui's famous catch, achieved with the jawbone of Muri-ranga-whenua, explains for the Māori the birth of the North Island of New Zealand, called Te Ika-a-Māui, “the Fish of Māui.” The South Island is said to be the canoe from which he fished.
To capture the Sun and force it to slow its course (so that the days would be longer), Māui weaves strong ropes and strikes the celestial body with his grandmother's jawbone. This object inherited from Muri-ranga-whenua thus links together nearly all the great myths of the hero.
Primary Sources
Māui went to his ancestress Muri-ranga-whenua and asked her for her jaw-bone; she gave it to him, and it was with this bone that he accomplished his great deeds.
With the hook made from the jaw-bone of Muri-ranga-whenua, Māui fished up the great land that became the island called Te Ika-a-Māui, the Fish of Māui.
Māori traditions relate that Māui obtained from an ancestress the enchanted jaw-bone that served him as a weapon to tame the sun and as a hook to lift up the land.
Muri-ranga-whenua, the ancestress of Māui, gave him her jaw-bone (te kauae) so that he might fashion from it a powerful weapon.
Key Places
The North Island, born from Māui's great fishing feat performed with the jawbone of Muri-ranga-whenua. The geographic heart of Maori myth.
The South Island, identified as Māui's canoe from which he fished up the great fish. A founding place of sacred Maori geography.
A mythical and distant place where the ancient ancestress resides, at the boundary of the living. Māui must travel a long way to reach it.
The mythical land of origin of the Maori ancestors, from which Māui's generations descended. The spiritual cradle of the tradition.
The northern tip of New Zealand, a sacred place where, according to Maori tradition, the spirits of the dead depart from the land — associated with the far reaches inhabited by the ancestors.
Typical Objects
Jawbone of Muri-ranga-whenua, charged with mana, which she entrusts to Māui. He uses it both as a weapon and as a magical fish-hook.
A fish-hook fashioned from the enchanted jawbone, with which Māui hauls up the North Island from the bottom of the ocean. The hei-matau (bone pendant) carries on its symbol.
Strong braids made from New Zealand flax fibre that Māui uses to bind and strike the Sun. Harakeke is essential to Māori weaving.
The North Island of New Zealand, regarded as the great fish caught by Māui with his ancestress's jawbone. Its mountains are said to be the marks left by his brothers.
The vessel from which Māui fishes up the great fish, identified with the South Island of New Zealand. It anchors the myth in the real landscape.
School Curriculum
Vocabulary & Tags
Key Vocabulary
Tags
Daily Life
Morning
A mythical figure, Muri-ranga-whenua has no documented historical daily life. In the stories, she lives apart, at the edge of the world, and spends her existence in immense solitude, waiting for her descendants to come to her.
Afternoon
She is described as an ancestor so ancient that her body takes part in the forces of the earth. Her belly swells to swallow careless passers-by: she embodies both a guardian and a danger for those who fail to show respect.
Evening
Tradition emphasizes her hunger: it is by bringing her food and making himself known that Māui soothes her anger. The sharing of food seals the bond of kinship between them.
Food
A symbolic character, her diet belongs to myth: she is portrayed as devouring, able to engulf whatever comes near, a metaphor for the earth that reclaims the living. The food offered to her plays a ritual role.
Clothing
No specific garment is attributed to her. In the Māori imagination, ancestors are associated with capes of woven flax (*korowai*) and with flax (*harakeke*), a material that recurs throughout the cycle of Māui.
Housing
She dwells in a distant, mythical place, at the edges of the inhabited world, near the boundary between the living and the beyond, in keeping with her status as a very ancient ancestor.
Historical Timeline
Period Vocabulary
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
Le don de la mâchoire enchantée (te kauae)
temps mythique
La pêche de l'île du Nord (Te Ika-a-Māui)
temps mythique
La capture du Soleil
temps mythique
La transmission du mana ancestral
temps mythique
Figure de la grand-mère donatrice
tradition orale
