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

Overview

The Magical Wooden Head places a carved head in the hill fortress of Puarata and Tautohito at the Sacred Mount, Puke-tapu. Grey’s narrative says armies seeking to capture it and travellers passing Waimatuku die through its influence. The sorcerer Hakawau undertakes the journey with a companion after a dream shows his assisting spirit stretching between earth and heaven. Near the fortress, he sends one spirit force ahead and another behind. The forward party draws the guardians into pursuit, enabling the others to enter the undefended place and defeat them.

When Puarata sees the visitors, he appeals to the head. Its former loud cry would have killed them, but the destruction of his supporting spirits leaves it making only weak moans. Hakawau crosses the palisade, enters the protected places and refuses the offered meal. On departing, he strikes the threshold, and the tale concludes with every inhabitant of the fortress dying. The head’s vocal power and dependence on its guardians are explicit; the narrative does not describe a complete wooden body or present the alleged deaths as verified historical events.

Carved headLethal cryFortress guardian spiritsDecoy and flanking spirit attackReduced moaning after defeat
01

Origins & earliest records

George Grey’s Polynesian Mythology, The Magical Wooden Head, printed pp. 204–208 in the hosted transcription. English book first published 1855; the hosting title page labels its source [1854].

02

Records & interpretation

Located public historical narrative documents these source-specific actions. Grey’s English mediation and the hosting date discrepancy remain explicit.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Polynesian Mythology: The Magical Wooden Head, pp. 204–208

    Māori narrators and writers; English collection edited by George Grey · English publication 1855; hosting title page marked [1854]

    Selected complete episode in a historical English transcription; no individual informant identified for this passage.

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 historical collected narrative transcriptionGrey collection: The Magical Wooden HeadResearch 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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