A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

In the Hoamakeikekula account, Elepaio is the messenger of Kalamaula, described in the English translation as the lizard king of Keawewai. He calls while the heroine and her attendant gather lehua. The attendant first suspects wind or rubbing branches, but the repeated call prompts them to look. They then watch the bird become a handsome young man. He greets them and chants a mele about birds, flowers and forest places.

When the attendant proposes returning home, Elepaio addresses the fog. It conceals the forest and separates the two women, allowing Hoamakeikekula to be brought to Keawewai. At the chief’s house he recounts finding her. This episode supplies an observed transformation and a specific messenger role; the editorial footnote’s broader discussion of the natural elepaio bird and omens is a separate commentary, not a claim that every living bird changes into a person.

Bird changes into young manChants a meleCalls concealing fogServes Kalamaula
01

Origins & earliest records

Fornander Collection IV, Legend of Hoamakeikekula, printed pp. 532–540. Hawaiian manuscript corpus gathered by Fornander; English translations revised and edited by Thomas G. Thrum. No particular narrator is named for this account.

02

Records & interpretation

Transformation and fog encounter, printed pp. 534–536, within the complete pp. 532–540 narrative; printed p. 534 visually checked.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Fornander Collection IV: Legend of Hoamakeikekula, pp. 532–540

    Hawaiian manuscript collection gathered by Abraham Fornander; translations revised and edited by Thomas G. Thrum · 1916–1917

    Transformation and fog encounter, printed pp. 534–536, within the complete pp. 532–540 narrative; printed p. 534 visually checked.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Primary textFornander Collection IV, bilingual historical editionResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

FT·660 · RESEARCH EDITION 01Back to top ↑