Mythologis
The Maori Mythology Book: Māui, Tāne, and the Gods of Aotearoa

Maori Mythology

The Maori Mythology Book: Māui, Tāne, and the Gods of Aotearoa

Māui, Tāne, and Rangi and Papa

The mythology of New Zealand’s first people: the sky-father and earth-mother locked in an embrace, the children who forced them apart to let in the light, and Māui the trickster who fished up islands, snared the sun, and died trying to defeat death itself.

150 pagesPDFEnglishMythologis Library

$14.99

Pre-order: delivered within 24h

Inside this book

What you will read

  • 11 chapters, primary sources
  • Instant PDF download
  • Original ink illustrations
  • Inline citations to the oral tradition
  • Designed for print quality
See all chapters  +
  1. 01The People of the Long White Cloud
  2. 02Te Kore and Te Pō: The Void and the Night
  3. 03Ranginui and Papatūānuku: The Sky and the Earth
  4. 04The Separation of the Parents
  5. 05Tāne, Tū, Tāwhiri, and the Quarreling Brothers
  6. 06Tāne and the Making of the First Woman
  7. 07The Three Baskets of Knowledge
  8. 08Māui: The Trickster's Birth and Deeds
  9. 09Māui Fishes Up the Land and Snares the Sun
  10. 10Māui and the Goddess of Death
  11. 11Taniwha, Tapu, and the Living Tradition

About this book

About this Maori mythology guide

The mythology of Aotearoa: the sky-father and earth-mother torn apart, and Māui the trickster who fished up islands and died fighting death itself.

In the beginning, the Maori say, the Sky-Father Ranginui and the Earth-Mother Papatūānuku held each other so tightly that their children lived crushed in darkness between them. So the children did the unthinkable: they pushed their parents apart, and let in the light, and the world began. From that act flow all the great stories of Aotearoa, up to the half-divine trickster Māui, who fished up the North Island, slowed the sun, and finally tried to conquer death and lost.

This book is the complete guide. Eleven chapters cover the void and the night, the separation of the sky and the earth, the quarreling brother-gods, the making of the first woman, the baskets of knowledge, and the whole cycle of Māui, from his strange birth to his last and fatal trick. The final chapter covers the taniwha and the living tradition. Every chapter cites its sources.

Delivered as a print-quality PDF within 24 hours of purchase.

What you will discover inside

  • Ranginui and Papatūānuku, the sky and the earth locked in an embrace
  • How their children forced them apart and let the light into the world
  • Tāne, who made the first woman from the red earth
  • Māui, who fished up the North Island with a hook of jawbone
  • How Māui snared the sun and slowed it for the good of all
  • How Māui died trying to conquer death, and why we are still mortal

Maori mythology book at a glance

TraditionMaori mythology
Chapters11 chapters
Length150 pages
SourcesDrawn from the primary sources, cited inline
Reading levelBeginner-friendly. Every name and place is explained from scratch
FormatPrint-quality PDF
DeliveryPDF within 24 hours

Formats and editions

EditionWhat you getPrice
Instant PDFPrint-quality download, readable on any device. PDF within 24 hours.$7.99
PaperbackA paperback edition is on the way. Sign up on this page to hear when it lands on Amazon.Coming soon

About the author

Guillaume Henry, founder of Mythologis

Guillaume Henry

Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Mythologis

Guillaume Henry founded Mythologis to make the world's mythologies readable without losing what makes them strange. Every Mythologis book draws on the primary sources first, cross-references multiple translations, and avoids inventing details that aren't in the originals.

More about the author

Keep exploring Maori mythology

Prefer to read before you buy? These free, fully sourced guides cover the same gods, myths and sources you will meet in the book.

Read the complete Maori mythology guide

Questions about the Maori mythology book

When will I receive my PDF?

Within 24 hours of purchase. Your download link arrives in your inbox automatically.

Is this book respectful of Maori tradition?

Yes. Maori mythology belongs to a living people, and the book treats it with care. It uses the correct Te Reo Maori names and macrons, explains key concepts like tapu and mana on their own terms, and notes where accounts differ between iwi (tribes) rather than flattening them into one version.

Is this book based on primary sources?

Yes. It draws on the Maori oral tradition and the major recorded collections, including George Grey (Polynesian Mythology / Nga Mahi a nga Tupuna) and the works of Te Rangi Hīroa (Peter Buck) and Elsdon Best, with references to the standard editions.

How long is the book?

Eleven chapters, around 150 pages depending on the final layout. Designed to be read in evenings or in one long sitting.

Is this book for beginners or specialists?

Beginners welcome. The book explains every name, place, and concept from scratch. Specialists will find the source citations useful for further reading.

Will there be a paperback on Amazon?

The PDF is available immediately. A KDP paperback edition follows once the book has been validated by readers.

What formats is this book available in?

Every title is available as an instant PDF, downloaded the moment you buy it: the link appears on the confirmation page and lands in your inbox. Selected titles also have a paperback edition on Amazon. Where the paperback is not out yet, you can sign up to be notified the day it does.

What is the return policy?

The PDF is delivered instantly by Mythologis. If a download ever fails or a file looks wrong, get in touch and we will make it right. Paperbacks bought on Amazon are handled under Amazon's own returns and refund policy.

Can I order from outside the United States?

Yes. The PDF is a digital download, so it works instantly anywhere in the world, with nothing to ship. Where a paperback edition exists, it is sold across Amazon's international marketplaces, with shipping rates and delivery times depending on your country.

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