Tangaroa

Tradition · Polynesian Hawaiian

A note on this entry

Tangaroa is the Maori god of the sea and of fish, a son of Ranginui and Papatuanuku who went to the sea when his parents were separated; in Samoa the cognate Tagaloa is the creator, and in Tahiti Ta'aroa is the creator who made the world from a shell. The entry names the island traditions separately because the same Polynesian root names different figures, and merging them into one 'Polynesian sea god' is the error the note exists to prevent. The planetary (Neptune), zodiacal (Pisces, Cancer), tarot (the Moon, the World, Ace of Cups) and sabbat values in this entry are modern Western overlays, and the sabbat list is left empty because the Wiccan wheel has no Polynesian analogue. The sea in the Maori tradition is an ancestor-and-taniwha world with its own protocols, not a symbol, and Tangaroa is not a generic 'spirit guide' or a 'sea spirit'.

Alternate Names: Tagaloa (Samoa)Ta'aroa (Tahiti)Kanaloa (Hawai'i, cognate)
Gender Expression: Masculine
Titles: Lord of the SeaFather of FishThe Creator (in some islands)The Deep
Domain: The seaFishThe oceanCreation in some islandsThe deepVoyagingThe shellThe fishing grounds
Planetary Correspondence: Neptune
Secondary Planets: Moon Pluto
Elemental Correspondence: Water
Zodiac Affinity: Pisces Cancer
Correspondences: Colors
BlueBlackWhite
Stones
Pearl Aquamarine Coral Abalone
Herbs
Seaweed Kelp Sea Salt
Scents
Sea saltAmbergrisMyrrh
Metals
SilverLead
Animals
FishSharkWhaleOctopus
Tarot
The Moon The World Ace of Cups
Sacred Timing: Days
Monday
Moon phases
Full Moon New Moon
Sabbats
—
Hours
The turn of the tideDawn
Offerings: FishSea waterThe first catchKava
Invocation Approach: Tone
Vast and providing
Address
TangaroaLord of the SeaTagaloa
Relationship
The ocean that is also the beginning
Warning
The sea is not a metaphor and it keeps what it takes
Resonance
Fishers voyagers those who live by the sea
Symbols: The seaFishCanoeShellThe fishing ground
Mythology Summary: Tangaroa is the Maori god of the sea and of fish, a son of Ranginui and Papatuanuku who went to the sea when his parents were separated; in Samoa the cognate Tagaloa is the creator, and in Tahiti Ta'aroa is the creator who made the world from a shell. The same Polynesian root names different figures in different island traditions, and the entry does not merge them. The sea and its fish are his, and the canoe and the fishing ground are the practice. Grey's Polynesian Mythology (1855) is among the usual written sources for the Maori account.
Modern Practice: Tangaroa is honoured at the sea with the first catch, sea water and kava, and his practice is the fishing protocol and the care of the fishing ground. In Aotearoa the guardianship of the sea (kaitiakitanga) is the contemporary form. The offering is made before the nets go out.
Related Deities: Pele Sedna Olokun Yemoja

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