Waiau, guardian of the sacred crater lake
By Ralf Ittermann · last reviewed on
Waiau is a goddess of Hawaiian tradition.
The lake at the summit is sacred, its goddess almost forgotten.
Waiau is the Hawaiian goddess of Lake Waiau, a small sacred crater lake near the summit of Mauna Kea at around 3970 metres. She is one of the four snow-mantle goddesses, sister of Poliʻahu, and closely identified with the glittering mountain lake, whose namesake and guardian she is.
The place is better documented than the person, however: the lake is among the holiest sites of Mauna Kea, while the goddess’s story was already regarded as nearly forgotten by 1916. Westervelt explicitly suspected a still-unexcavated legend linking the maiden Waiau to the lake.
Type: lake and guardian goddess of Lake Waiau
Origin: Hawaiian mythology, compiled by Westervelt and Beckwith
Texts: Westervelt 1916, Beckwith 1940
Period: classical compilations of Hawaiian tradition
Appearance: maiden in a white mantle
Region of origin and sources
Period of the Texts
The notes on the goddess appear in the classical compilations of Westervelt 1916 and Beckwith 1940; no elaborated narrative has survived.
Area of Diffusion
Mauna Kea on Hawaii, or more precisely Lake Waiau near the summit: a small crater lake at around 3970 metres altitude.
Sources
Thin, with one peculiarity: the place is far better documented than the person; the sanctity of the lake is well established, the goddess’s mythology barely so.
Name and variants
Hawaiian: Wai-au means water deep enough for bathing, or swirling water, from wai, fresh water, and au, current or eddy. Westervelt interprets the name as deep enough for the goddess’s bath.
Description
Appearance
Waiau appears as a maiden in a white mantle and is closely identified with the mountain lake bearing her name.
Effect
She is the guardian goddess of the sacred lake. The lake was sometimes said to be bottomless, reaching to the heart of the mountain; in reality, however, it is only a few metres deep, and depth estimates vary widely.
Profile: Waiau
The guardian of the mountain lake in brief.
One of the four snow-mantle goddesses and sister of Poliʻahu; her figure is barely elaborated, while the lake is all the more sacred.
Lake Waiau, near the summit of Mauna Kea: she is namesake and guardian of the small crater lake.
A maiden in a white mantle, almost identified as one with the glittering mountain lake.
Guardian goddess of the sacred lake; the legend of the bottomless lake reaching to the heart of the mountain belongs to her place.
Rituals and offerings at the lake; traditionally the umbilical cord of newborns, the piko, was deposited there.
Typologically a lake and spring goddess, comparable to the mountain lake nymphs of other cultures; her closest relative is Poliʻahu.
Deep enough for the goddess's bath: the name
Wai-au means water deep enough for bathing, or swirling water, composed of wai, fresh water, and au, current or eddy; Westervelt interprets the name as deep enough for the goddess’s bath. Waiau is namesake and guardian of Lake Waiau near the summit of Mauna Kea at around 3970 metres.
The evidence is limited to Westervelt 1916 and Beckwith 1940. No elaborated narrative of the goddess has survived; Westervelt explicitly suspected a still-unexcavated legend linking the maiden to the lake.
An almost forgotten legend
As early as 1916, the tradition was regarded as nearly forgotten; Westervelt reckoned with a lost legend, still to be uncovered, about the maiden Waiau and her lake.
In religious-studies terms, Waiau is a benevolent lake goddess whose figure is barely elaborated; what is established above all is the sanctity of the lake, not a rich mythology of the person. Two clarifications are important: the bottomless lake is legend, not geography, the lake is shallow. And Waiau is not identical with the lake, but its mythical guardian, whose exact story is lost.
Rituals at Lake Waiau
Lake Waiau remains one of the holiest sites of Mauna Kea to this day, a place of rituals and offerings; traditionally, the umbilical cord of newborns, the piko, was deposited there. A specific cult of Waiau as goddess, however, is poorly documented: the sanctity belongs to the place. The goddess stands behind the lake, not before it.
Lake and spring goddesses compared
Waiau represents the type of a lake and spring goddess, comparable to the mountain lake nymphs of other cultures. Within Hawaii she stands alongside her sisters Poliʻahu, Lilinoe and Kahoupokane, whose circle divides the high mountains of the islands among themselves.
Frequently asked questions about Waiau
Who is Waiau?
The Hawaiian goddess of the sacred crater lake, Lake Waiau, on Mauna Kea, and sister of Poliʻahu.
Is the lake bottomless?
No. That is legend; in reality the lake is only a few metres deep, even though depth estimates vary widely.
How well is the goddess documented?
Thinly. What is established above all is the sanctity of the lake; the goddess’s story is considered lost.
Further links
Further reading:
- Poliʻahu – the sister and lady of Mauna Kea
- Lilinoe, Kahoupokane – the other sisters of the circle
- Amulet, protective candle, salt – traditional protective means
- Protection Compass – an overview of protective means
Literature (selection)
Further standard works in the bibliography.
Waiau shows how a place can outlast its mistress: the crater lake remained sacred while the story of the goddess of the crater lake was lost; as Poliʻahu’s sister, she lives on chiefly within the circle of the four snow-mantle goddesses.
