Magic in Oceania
Mana and tapu, tohunga and kahuna, the Dreaming and its restricted knowledge, and sorcery beliefs across Melanesia. 52 entries on EveryJaadu so far.
Places of magic
Ahu Tongariki 1Arnhem Land 1Buariki village 1Coromandel Peninsula 1Fagamalo 1Falealupo 1Gisborne 1Haleakalā 1Hawaii 1Hokianga 1Hokianga Harbour 1Hoover Dam 1House of Taga 1Kakadu National Park 1Kikowhakarere 1Kilcoy 1Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park 1Lake Waikaremoana 1Lamakara 1Marine Parade 1Matavai 1Molokaʻi 1Mount Arowhana 1Mount Moehau 1Mount Ngongotahā 1Mount Pirongia 1Napier 1Pentecost Island 1Queen Charlotte Sound 1Rano Raraku 1
Rites of the region
Karakia and lifting tapuHooponoponoAboriginal smoking ceremonyPacific kava ceremonySorcery accusation in Papua New Guinea
Countries
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
🇦🇺 AustraliaMokoi
An evil spirit in Yolngu mythology that kills sorcerers and kidnaps childrenBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇳🇿 New ZealandPatupaiarehe
Pale-skinned forest spirits of Māori mythology who live in mist and mountainsBeing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
🇦🇺 AustraliaYowie
A hairy, bipedal creature of Australian folklore and cryptozoologyFigure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇼🇸 Samoa and 1 moreSamoan mythology
The deities and legends of the Samoan Islands, part of Polynesian tradition.Figure · Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
🇺🇸 United StatesMenehune
A legendary race of tiny builders in Hawaiian folkloreFigure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇦🇺 AustraliaMimi
Elongated rock-dwelling beings from Arnhem Land who taught Aboriginal people to paint and huntBeing Legendary
🇳🇿 New ZealandPania
A sea maiden from Māori legend who became a symbol for Napier, New Zealand.Figure Legendary
🇦🇺 AustraliaYara-ma-yha-who
A red frog-like vampire from Australian Aboriginal folklore that lives in fig treesBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇳🇿 New ZealandMoehau
A New Zealand woodland creature said to be a wild man or an escaped pet.Being Legendary
🇳🇿 New ZealandKumi Lizard
A legendary reptile from New Zealand folklore, said to be a giant monitor lizard.Figure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇦🇺 AustraliaMungoon-Galimangun.gaali
A giant goanna from Australian Aboriginal folklore who lost his venom to a black snakeFigure Legendary
🇳🇿 New ZealandMaero
A wild supernatural people of New Zealand forests and mountainsBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇫🇯 FijiFlaming Teeth
A giant from Fijian myth whose burning teeth brought fire to humanityFigure · Cursing and harm · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇳🇿 New ZealandPatupaiarehe
Pale-skinned forest spirits of Māori mythology who live in mist and mountainsBeing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
🇦🇺 AustraliaYowie
A hairy, bipedal creature of Australian folklore and cryptozoologyFigure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇼🇸 Samoa and 1 moreSamoan mythology
The deities and legends of the Samoan Islands, part of Polynesian tradition.Figure · Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
🇺🇸 United StatesMenehune
A legendary race of tiny builders in Hawaiian folkloreFigure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇦🇺 AustraliaMimi
Elongated rock-dwelling beings from Arnhem Land who taught Aboriginal people to paint and huntBeing Legendary
🇳🇿 New ZealandPania
A sea maiden from Māori legend who became a symbol for Napier, New Zealand.Figure Legendary
🇦🇺 AustraliaYara-ma-yha-who
A red frog-like vampire from Australian Aboriginal folklore that lives in fig treesBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇳🇿 New ZealandMoehau
A New Zealand woodland creature said to be a wild man or an escaped pet.Being Legendary
🇳🇿 New ZealandKumi Lizard
A legendary reptile from New Zealand folklore, said to be a giant monitor lizard.Figure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇦🇺 AustraliaMungoon-Galimangun.gaali
A giant goanna from Australian Aboriginal folklore who lost his venom to a black snakeFigure Legendary
🇳🇿 New ZealandMaero
A wild supernatural people of New Zealand forests and mountainsBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇫🇯 FijiFlaming Teeth
A giant from Fijian myth whose burning teeth brought fire to humanityFigure · Cursing and harm · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Patupaiarehe: Archives New Zealand, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Yowie: Seo75, CC BY 2.5, source
- Menehune: D. Howard Hitchcock, Public domain, source
- Mimi: Photo by and ©2002 Dustin M. Ramsey ( Kralizec! ), CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Pania: Summer Skyes 11, CC BY 2.0, source