Tama-nui-te-rā

E384215

Tama-nui-te-rā is the personified sun in Māori mythology, often depicted as a powerful being whose swift journey across the sky was famously challenged and slowed by the hero Māui.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Tama-nui-te-rā canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf deity
figure in Māori mythology
personification
solar deity
affectedBy blows from Māui
ropes of Māui
appearsIn oral traditions
whakapapa (genealogical) narratives
associatedWith daytime
heat
sunlight
category Māori gods
sky and weather deities
solar gods
challengedBy Māui (Polynesian demigod)
surface form: Māui
cosmicFunction marking days
regulating time
culture Māori
describedAs powerful being
swift traveler across the sky
domain Polynesian mythology
explains lengthening of the day
why days are longer in summer
gender male
hasMyth story of being snared and beaten by Māui
honoredIn karakia (prayers)
traditional narratives
waiata (songs)
influences agricultural cycles
daily human activities
involvedIn Māui slowing the sun narrative
languageOfName te reo Māori
movementSpeed swift
movesAcross the sky
mythology Māori mythology
nameMeaning great son of the sun
narrativeType etiological myth
opponentInMyth Māui (Polynesian demigod)
surface form: Māui
personifies the sun
regionOfVeneration New Zealand
surface form: Aotearoa (New Zealand)
resultOfConflictWithMāui slowed daily journey
role controller of the length of the day
source of light
source of warmth
symbolOf growth of crops
life
vitality
worshippedBy Māori communities (traditional)

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Māui (Polynesian demigod) opponent Tama-nui-te-rā
subject surface form: Māui