The primal sky
father in Māori mythology
In the mythology of the Maori of
New Zealand Rangi is the god of the sky. He was also known as Raki by the Nghaitahu of the South Island of New Zealand. He fell in love with the Papa - the earth and embraced her at a
time when there was only darkness. There were numerous offspring of their union, such as Haumea, Rongo, Tane, Tangaroa, Tawhiri and
Tu, but these as well as plants and
fruit were prevented from growing on the earth by the tightness of the embrace of Rangi and Papa.
To remedy this situation, the other gods separated the two lovers. Some variations of the myths say that the separation was carried out on the orders of Rangi himself. When they separated light was created and the plants could grow. The Nghaitahu
said that the morning dew is the tears of Raki for his beloved Papa and the mists are the sighs of Papa for Rangi.
