Māui’s fishing hook

Relic

Lore

The legendary fish-hook of the demigod Maui

Māui’s fishing hook is one of the central artifacts of all Polynesia, for it is with this tool that the herodemigod explains both the physical arrival of islands and the regulation of time itself. In the Hawaiian tradition it is called Manaiakalani, usually translated as “the hook that came down from the heavens,” emphasizing its other-worldly origin; among the Māori it is known as Te Matau a Māui, “Māui’s hook,” and is directly tied to New Zealand’s North Island.

The hook’s shape is massive—built to seize enormous quarry without fail—and its surface is carved with intricate patterns. In traditional belief these grooves act as channels for karakia, the spoken charms that awaken the bone’s power.

From Oceanian Bestiary 5E, p. 104 · Fern Flower Press