The Apotheosis of Pele: The Legends and Myths of Hawaiʻi: The Fables and Folk-Lore of a Strange People (Unabridged‪)‬

King David Kalākaua introduces us to the people upon whom the legend of the Pele family is based. They departed Samoa as war refugees in the 12th century, settling in the foothills of Mauna Loa. As earthquakes and eruptions occurred during their interactions with the Hawaiians, this family of kahuna were accorded what the king described as “unique sanctity and power”. Pele was as mighty as she was beautiful. The tales of the volcano goddess earned the attention of Kamapuaa, the outcast son of the chief of Oahu who terrorized the island with his band of renegades. The giant sought out Pele in hopes of finding his equal. But would he come to her mountain redoubt as a suitor or an enemy?