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

Overview

Coombe describes Mae as an amphibious snake able to take the appearance of a young man or woman. It is generally seen in dim light; her example involves a man returning from fishing or garden work. Accepting its invitation is associated with fatal illness, while company is said to prevent encounters.

The tests for recognising Mae vary between islands. Reported signs include snake-skin at the neck, a scarlet tongue, joints that bend backward, immunity to the nettle tree, and drinking a coconut upside down. These are separate local tests, not one fixed anatomy.

Croton and white amaranth are named as protections. Striking the figure with croton is said to expose its tail. Coombe offers a speculative explanation of the belief's origin, but that explanation is her interpretation and is not adopted here.

Snake that assumes attractive human formApproaches solitary travelers in dim lightContact associated with fatal illnessIsland-specific detection tests (neck snake-skin, scarlet tongue, backward joints, nettle-tree immunity, upside-down coconut drinking)Deterred by companyCroton and white amaranth protective; croton strike exposes tail
01

Origins & earliest records

Recorded from Raga (Pentecost) and neighbouring islands in Florence Coombe, Islands of Enchantment (1911), Part I ch. I, pp. 14–16. This is the earliest source inspected for this profile, an attestation rather than a date of oral origin.

02

Records & interpretation

Selected passages verified in the compilation's cached OCR. Island-specific tests remain separate; present-day belief and practice are unverified.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Islands of Enchantment: many-sided Melanesia seen through many eyes

    Florence Coombe · 1911

    Selected bibliography; source account, Part I ch. I pp. 14–16.

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. Historical book (digitised full text)Islands of Enchantment: many-sided Melanesia seen through many eyes (full OCR text)Research access: 2026-10-07
  2. Catalogue recordIslands of Enchantment: many-sided Melanesia seen through many eyes (catalogue record)Research access: 2026-10-07

Image credits

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

FT·921 · RESEARCH EDITION 01Back to top ↑