Winged Family from Above of Meralava

Overview

A company from the sky comes down to fish at low tide and leaves its removable wings under a pandanus. A man hides one woman's wing under a rock, which leaves her unable to return. He marries her and puts his earlier wife to work as a servant. The marriage arises from this coercion.

The woman's two sons chase a blue lizard beneath a rock they cannot move. They fetch their mother, who rolls it away and discovers her hidden wing. She and the boys kill a pig; she divides the portions, says farewell and returns to the sky.

The sons later shoot at a pigeon, which catches their arrows. It identifies them as its daughter's sons and goes above with them, where their mother recognizes them. The family remains one narrative group; the similar captive sky-wife motif does not establish identity with Tagaro's wife.

Origins & earliest records

Anonymous Mota-language narrative translated in Florence Coombe, Islands of Enchantment (1911), Part I ch. IV, pp. 50–53. This is the earliest source inspected, an attestation and not an oral origin.

Records & interpretation

One translated narrative in a historical missionary compilation. Identification with similar sky-wife figures elsewhere is not established.

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; translated narrative, Part I ch. IV pp. 50–53.

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.