Legends of the Volcano
Legends and information are grouped by country:
This is an ongoing VW project and we will happily accept academic papers or additional sources on the topic that expand our volcano mythos.
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The great eruption at Santorini in 1500 BC may be the origin of the
Atlantis myth.
This photo of an engraving shows the 1866 eruption of NaeKameni, Santorini.
Photo credit: National Geophysical Data Center (P. Hedervari).
Volcanic features and phenomena have often been described in legends. These legends provide a connection between a cultural or spiritual view of nature and the scientific study of Earth's natural processes. Careful study of these legends may even yield faint clues about ancient eruptions. The legends in this section are all believed to describe or relate to volcanic features or events.
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Indonesia
Bromo
"Legend has it that the great Tengger Crater
was dug out with just half a coconut shell by an ogre smitten with love
for a princess. When the king saw that the ogre might fulfill the task he
had set, which was to be completed in a single night, he ordered his
servants to pound rice. This caused the cocks to start crowing, thinking
the dawn had broken. The coconut that the ogre flung away became Gunung
Batok, and the trench became the Sand Sea - and the ogre died of
exhaustion."
From: Java a Lonely Planet travel survival kit by Peter Turner.
Philippines
United States
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Once there were seven brothers, one day the wife of the oldest brother was
carried off by a huge bear to his cave. Her husband mourned her loss
greatly. The youngest brother who had great power told him to make 4 arrows
with a special design. Then he and the other brothers went to the cave,
where they found the bear asleep with his head resting in the wifes lap.
They helped her escape. When the bear awoke and found the woman gone he was
so mad that he rounded up all the bears in the area, as he was the leader
and set out to find the Indians. The youngest of the brothers (who was a
holy man) saw the bears coming and he took a small rock from his pocket,
sang a sacred song and made the rock grow to the size it is today. The
leader bear kept jumping up the sides of the rock trying to get to the top
of the rock where the Indians were seeking protection, his claws marking the
sides of the tower. On his forth jump they shot an arrow into his head and
that killed him. The story ends with the brothers capturing the last two
bears and telling them never to bother people again. To make sure, he cut
off their ears and tails. That is why to this day bears have short ears and
no tails.
From a tourist postcard. |
Published Sources:
Malotki, E. (1987). A Hopi Legend of the Sunset Crater Eruption.
Flagstaff, AZ: Northland Press.
Hawaii
Pele, Hawaii's goddess of fire, can take many forms.
In this photo she is
the lava that pours across the ground.
She can also be a white dog, and old
woman, or a beautiful young woman.
Papalauahi and the Origin of the Lava Trees
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Pele is a skilled rider of the holua, a wooden sled that slides down steep
stone ramps. Papalauahi and and other chiefs challenged Pele to see who was
the best holua rider. Papalauahi proved by far to be the most skilled. Pele
lost her temper. She produced a great flood of lava which overran many of
the other chiefs and onlookers. These stone pillars are lava trees in lower Puna.
Taken from Vitaliano (1976). |
Published Sources:
Vitaliano, Dorothy B., 1976, Legends of the Earth: Their Geologic Origins:
Secaucus, N.J.: The Citadel Press.
Westervelt, W. (1963). Hawaii Legends of Volcanoes. Rutland, VT: Charles
Tuttle Company.
Cascades
The Battle of Two Chiefs: Mount Mazama and Mount Shasta
The Klamath Indians of the pacific Northwest tell a legend about a fight
between two chiefs. Llao was the chief of the Below World and was at Mount
Mazama in Oregon. Skell was the chief of the Above World and stood at the
summit of Mount Shasta
in northern California. The two mountains are only a hundred miles
apart. As darkness covered the land the two chiefs threw rocks and flames
at each other. Llao, injured, fell back inside of Mount Mazama and was
never seen again. A huge hole was left where he fell into the Below World.
Over time, the hole filled with water to make
Crater Lake.
Volcanologists now know that Crater Lake is a caldera that formed by large
explosions and collapse about 6,800 years ago. From Vitaliano (1973).
The Origin of Mount Shasta
The Modoc Indians of northern California have lived in the area a long time
and have seen the volcano erupt. Their oral tradition explains how the
volcano formed. The Chief of the Sky Spirits was cold in the Above World.
One day he used a rotating stone to drill a hole in the sky. Once the hole
was finished he pushed in snow and ice. The snow and ice piled up and
almost reached the sky. Then, the Chief of the Sky Spirits stepped down to
the Earth. He created the trees, rivers, animals, fish, and birds. He even
brought his family down and they all lived in the mountains. The sparks and
smoke from their fires blew out of the hole in the top of their lodge. When
Chief of the Sky Spirits tossed a BIG log on the fire sparks flew up even
higher and the Earth trembled. The Chief eventually put out the fire and
returned to the Above World. From Vitaliano (1973).
Published Sources:
- Atwell, Jim, 1973, "Tahmahnaw," The Bridge of the Gods: Chicago, Adams press.
- Balch, F.H., 1890, The Bridge of the Gods: A Romance of Indian Oregon:
Binfords and Mort.
- Bunnel, C.O., 1935, Legends of the Klickitats: A Klickitat version of the
Story of the bridge of the Gods: Portland, Metropolitan press.
- Clark, Ella, 1953, Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest: Berkeley,
California: University of California Press.
- Lawrence, D.B., and Lawrence, E.G., 1958, The Bridge of the Gods Legend, Its
Origin, History, and Dating: Mazama, v. 11, (13): p. 33-41.
- Vitaliano, Dorothy B., 1976, Legends of the Earth: Their Geologic Origins:
Secaucus, N.J.: The Citadel Press.
Mexico
Popocatepetl
(the Smoking Mountain) and Iztaccihuatl
(the White Lady) are adjacent volcanoes at the south end of the Valley of
Mexico. The Aztecs believed the two volcanoes were lovers that could not
bear to be out of each others sight. Iztaccihuatls profile looks like a
reclining women. The names of the volcanoes summit reflect the legend:
Cabeza (head), Pecho (breast), Rodillas (knees), and Pies (feet). From
Vitaliano (1973). Photo by Steve O'Meara of Volcano Watch International.
Postcard of Iztaccihuatl.
Published Sources:
Vitaliano, Dorothy B., 1976, Legends of the Earth: Their Geologic Origins:
Secaucus, N.J.: The Citadel Press.
Canada
Published Sources:
Moodie, D.W., Catchpole, A.J.W., Abel, K., and Wortley, J., 1991, Northern
Athapaskan oral traditions and the White River volcanic eruption:
Ethnohistory, in press.
Devils Tower, Wyoming
