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

Overview

Pandanus leaves left soaking for mat-making become an eel in this Maewo telling. Men draw it into their village; its tail grips a croton strongly enough nearly to break it. A man remaining at the club-house hears the eel warn him not to join the coming meal.

The cooked eel transforms those who eat it in stages. Their first bite changes their legs, the next their bodies, and another leaves them entirely eel-shaped. Their leader glides into the water and the others follow. The warning recipient’s disability explains his position during the encounter; the narrative’s transformation is attached to eating the extraordinary eel, not to disability.

Pandanus leaves become an eelSpeaks a warningEating its flesh causes staged eel transformation
01

Origins & earliest records

R. H. Codrington, The Melanesians: Studies in their Anthropology and Folk-lore (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1891), Chapter XIX, III.7, p. 396. His introduction credits islanders’ written manuscripts for these translated tales; specific individual writers are not supplied here.

02

Records & interpretation

Complete selected tale read in the public primary transcription, with printed-page markers retained. Descriptive profile titles are identified where the being is unnamed. The original page images have not been visually collated in this pass.

In the literature

“they were all eels”
R. H. Codrington; island manuscript writer unnamed · The Melanesians: Studies in their Anthropology and Folk-lore
Chapter XIX III.7 The Woman and the Eel, Aurora, pp.396–397; p.396; final transformation · R. H. Codrington

The eel warns the lame man not to join the meal. The other men cook it and bite in unison: their legs change first, then their bodies, until all are eels and follow their leader into the water. The passage does not explicitly say the lame man also transforms.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    The Melanesians, Chapter XIX, III.7, p. 396

    R. H. Codrington (English translation and presentation of islanders’ manuscripts) · 1891

    Chapter introduction, p. 356, identifies the manuscript basis. Local story headings retained; collector judgments are not present community consensus.

  2. 02

    The Melanesians: Studies in their Anthropology and Folk-lore

    R. H. Codrington; selected island manuscript writer unnamed · 1891

    R. H. Codrington, The Melanesians: Studies in their Anthropology and Folk-lore, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1891; University of Toronto scan/OCR. Selected complete Chapter XIX III.7, 8, 11 and 12 independently read. Interleaved footnote to the preceding Ro Som tale excluded from III.7.

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.

Located primary passages

Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.

The Melanesians: Studies in their Anthropology and Folk-lore

R. H. Codrington, The Melanesians: Studies in their Anthropology and Folk-lore, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1891; University of Toronto scan/OCR. Selected complete Chapter XIX III.7, 8, 11 and 12 independently read. Interleaved footnote to the preceding Ro Som tale excluded from III.7.

  1. A woman finds that pandanus leaves left in water for mat-making have become an eel. Men haul it to their village; its tail coils around a croton tree and nearly breaks it. The lame man remaining at the club-house sees the struggle. This particular narrative is not evidence for an actual animal species.

    Chapter XIX III.7 The Woman and the Eel, Aurora, pp.396–397; Leaves become an eel

  2. The eel warns the lame man not to join the meal. The other men cook it and bite in unison: their legs change first, then their bodies, until all are eels and follow their leader into the water. The passage does not explicitly say the lame man also transforms.

    Chapter XIX III.7 The Woman and the Eel, Aurora, pp.396–397; Warning and transformation of the diners

  3. Codrington describes all stories except the first as translations of manuscripts written for him by islanders. The first Florida tale was recorded by A. Penny. This selected story has no individually identified manuscript writer in the inspected heading or introductory statement.

    Chapter XIX introduction, p.356

Island-specific historical account. Unstated identities and present community consensus not assumed; songs and ceremonial formulas not excerpted. Facsimile not visually checked in this batch. Original island manuscript not independently inspected; general contributors named elsewhere are not automatically individual narrators here.

References

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

  1. Primary textCodrington 1891, Chapter XIX: Stories, III.7, p. 396Research access: 2026-10-05
  2. Primary provenance statementCodrington’s Chapter XIX collection and translation statementResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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

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