Pele

The Hawaiian gods were toppled literally and figuratively in 1819, and began to fade from the minds of men. One that has remained prominent is Madame Pele, the fire goddess, who resides at Kilauea Caldera. Many versions account for how Pele wound up living in Kilauea firepit, but they all follow a general outline. It seems that the beautiful young goddess, from a large family of gods, was struck by wanderlust. Tucking her young sister, who was conveniently in the form of an egg, under her armpit, she set out to see the world. Fortune had its ups and downs for young Pele. For one, she was ravished by a real swine, Kama pua'a the pig god.

Moreover, she fought desperately with her sister, Namaka o Kahai, over the love of a handsome young chief; Pele's sister stalked her and smashed her bones on the Hana coast of Maui at a spot called Kaiwi o Pele (the Bones of Pele).

Pulling herself back together, Pele set out to make a love nest for her lover and herself. She chose the firepit at Kilauea Volcano and has long been responsible for its lava flows along with anything else that deals with heat or fire. Pele can change her form from a withered old woman to a ravishing beauty; her moods can change from gentle to fiery hot. She is traditionally appeased with ohelo berries that were cast into her firepit, but lately she prefers juniper berries in the form of gin. Pele's myth was shattered by the Hawaiian queen Keopuolani, one of the earliest and most fervent converts to Christianity. In the 1820s this brave queen made her way into the Kilauea fire pit and defiantly ate the ohelo berries sacred to Pele. She then cast stones into the pit and cried in a loud voice, "Jehovah is my god! . . . It is my God, and not Pele, that kindled these fires!"  Information taken from:   Madame Pele: The Great Gods: Special Topics: Hawaii

  Songs referenced: 

Muhammad My Friend