Mo'o
Also called Moʻo, Mo'o Akua, Moʻo Akua.
In Native Hawaiian tradition, mo'o are giant lizard- or dragon-like water-guardian spirits associated with fishponds, springs, and streams, often taking the form of a beautiful woman when they interact with humans.
At a glance
- Tradition
- Native Hawaiian folklore
- Region
- Hawaii (habitat)
- Trait family
- The Water-Beckoners
- Symbols
- Dragon
Near this figure
Symbols
Judged against the description by a model. Meanings are our own paraphrase.
- Dragon is image-domain The dragon denotes chaotic instinctual power, guardian of hoarded treasure and fertility, destructive in the West and, in China, the beneficent waterlike way of things.
why
In Native Hawaiian tradition, mo'o are giant lizard- or dragon-like water-guardian spirits associated with fishponds, springs, and streams, often taking the form of a beautiful woman when they interact with humans.
Traits
Read from the figure's description, which a model wrote. Open "why" for the sentence a trait came from.
Form
- Shapeshifts human animal
why
Mo'o are frequently described as shapeshifters, able to take human form, most often appearing as a strikingly beautiful woman
Behaviour
- Punishes those who pollute or overharvest water
why
Mo'o are generally regarded as powerful and can be dangerous when disrespected, angered, or when their waters are polluted or mistreated, with some tellings describing them attacking or drowning people who disturb their domain; at the same time, a mo'o that is properly honored is often described as a protector who keeps a fishpond productive and its waters clean.
- Transforms human to seduce
why
Mo'o are frequently described as shapeshifters, able to take human form, most often appearing as a strikingly beautiful woman, and in many accounts this human guise is how they interact with, test, or occasionally marry or seduce human men.
- Can be placated by specific ritual or trick
why
Offerings and proper conduct near a mo'o's waters are described in some accounts as a way of maintaining a respectful relationship with the guardian rather than provoking it.
Defensive powers
- Water guardianship
why
In Native Hawaiian tradition, mo'o are supernatural beings usually described as enormous lizards or dragon-like reptiles, sometimes many feet long, that dwell in and guard fresh water — springs, streams, taro patches, and especially fishponds (loko i'a), where their presence is traditionally understood as protecting the water source and the food supply it sustains.
Utility powers
- Shapeshifting
why
Mo'o are frequently described as shapeshifters, able to take human form, most often appearing as a strikingly beautiful woman, and in many accounts this human guise is how they interact with, test, or occasionally marry or seduce human men.
Curses
- Drowning lure
why
Mo'o are generally regarded as powerful and can be dangerous when disrespected, angered, or when their waters are polluted or mistreated, with some tellings describing them attacking or drowning people who disturb their domain; at the same time, a mo'o that is properly honored is often described as a protector who keeps a fishpond productive and its waters clean.