Hawaiian Historical Legends

About this book

This volume is a collection of Hawaiian folklore assembled by William D. Westervelt, who draws on oral traditions, early Hawaiian papers, and the research of Fornander to present “fragments of Hawaiian history.” The book opens with a sweeping overview that links mythic gods to the modern territorial government, then moves into a series of interconnected legends, viking‑like explorers, heroic chiefs, and the demi‑god Maui, each chapter treating a separate tale while the whole work remains a single narrative thread. The introductory passage explains the Hawaiian method of storytelling, the lack of precise dates, and the author’s effort to preserve the original pronunciation of Polynesian names, setting the tone for a text that blends myth, genealogy, and occasional historical fact.

Westervelt writes in a nineteenth‑century scholarly voice, marked by elaborate, almost poetic prose and frequent asides about language and customs. The style reflects the era’s ethnographic enthusiasm, offering detailed descriptions of rituals, costumes, and early printing in Hawaii. Readers who enjoy mythic epics, cultural anthropology, or the romanticized scholarship of the late 1800s will find this compilation rewarding, especially those interested in how indigenous narratives intersect with the islands’ colonial past.