Writer: Hoku Lani
Subject: THE MOON AND HINA
Link: MeWe / 08.09.2025
XP Comment: Thank you Hoku for such a beautiful story — there’s a wonderful opportunity to turn this into one of our Tuesday’s Midnight Fables, don’t you think?
The Moon And Hina
Long, long ago, when the world breathed with mana, a supernatural energy. It was about the same time that halfway across the globe, a false god credited with leading his people in circles for forty years, wasn’t even a thought.
The skies held the whispers of ancient Goddesses and Gods. This was the time there lived a woman named Hina. She was a weaver of tapa cloth and daughter of the sacred winds. Her fingers moved like the tide, gentle but certain, crafting patterns no mortal had seen before.
Hina lived in a lush valley wrapped in mist, where waterfalls sang lullabies and flowers bloomed with the scent of stories. There was no need for covering, and she walked the valley uncovered.
She was beautiful, yes, but it was her mind, sharp and clear, beloved like the morning star, that drew the gaze of the Divine Ones.
Among those who desired her was Te Tunaroa, the eel god of the underworld rivers. He watched her as her perfectly shaped breasts, tiny waist, and gateway to pleasure glistened in the moonlight.
One night, he rose from the dark tide pools and came to Hina in secret, whispering promises and pressing gifts of jade and black pearls into her hands. At first, she was flattered. As he desired her and wanted to slither into her hole, he visited often. But soon his visits turned possessive, and his embrace grew colder than river stone. Hina, a spirit of light and freedom, began to wither.
She sought counsel from the Goddess Mahina, keeper of the Moon and Mistress of change. In her dreams, Mahina spoke.
”You are not bound by him. Take the path that rises, not the one that coils.”
When Hina awoke, she knew what she had to do.
One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Hina climbed the tallest coconut tree, reaching higher than birds dared to fly. With each step, she chanted words her grandmother taught her, words older than islands:
“‘A’e ‘oe i luna, i luna loa! Rise, rise to the sacred heights.”
The tree grew like a young man before his mother’s bare breast. It grew, stretched and bent, groaning under the weight of her desire. Just as the last star blinked into the sky, Hina leapt, and the moon caught her.
From the shore below, Te Tunaroa slithered and howled, but it was too late. Hina was gone, wrapped in the silver light of the moon.
On the moon, she built herself a new home. She pounded bark into cloth and hung it like clouds across the sky. The patterns she wove became the craters and shadows we now see. Some nights, if you listen, you can still hear the rhythmic thump of her mallet echoing across the heavens.
But escape is never the end of a tale.
Years passed.
The people of the islands began to tell stories of the woman in the moon. They left offerings of white flowers and placed tapa cloths beneath the moonlight, hoping Hina would bless their daughters with the same courage and not accept a position beneath any man.
Fishermen navigating dark waters whispered her name for safe passage. Women whispered her name when they needed strength. Hina, once hidden in a valley, had become a Goddess of her own.
Still, she watched the earth with longing not for what she fled, but for what she protected: the sacred right to choose, to rise, and to transform.
This tale teaches that true power lies in the ability to choose one’s own path. Hina’s escape from control and her transformation into a Divine figure remind us that freedom, dignity, and inner strength are sacred. Even in silence, our actions echo across generations. The Moon may seem distant, but it carries the story of a woman who rose when the world tried to hold her down.
It is no surprise that Hina is associated with the Moon, as the Moon seems to be a universal representation of the Feminine in spirituality. It is Hina, the Goddess of the Night, who draws her strength from the moon’s luminous energy.
To connect with her, bask in the moonlight, whether it’s under the silver glow of the Full Moon or the gentle embrace of the crescent. Engage in moon rituals, meditations, or simply spend time in contemplation under her celestial guidance. As you align with the lunar cycles, you will tap into the depths of your intuition and unleash the hidden aspects of your being.
After sharing one of my favorite childhood tales, you may notice some similarities to another, half a world away.
Salvete Lami!