Mythology
Hawaiian Mythology Quiz
Pele, Maui, and the 400,000 akua — how well do you know Hawaiian mythology?
Pele, Maui, and the 400,000 akua — how well do you know Hawaiian mythology?
Captain Cook was killed on Valentine's Day 1779 in Hawaii — some scholars argue Hawaiians initially mistook him for the returning god Lono. Hawaiian mythology is a rich branch of the wider Polynesian religion, built around four great akua, hundreds of lesser gods, and an estimated 400,000 aumakua (ancestral spirits). This quiz tests the genealogies, gods, and kapu of the islands.
Each round presents 10 randomized multiple-choice questions drawn from a pool of 50, so every playthrough is different. You get instant feedback with explanations after each answer, plus a shareable score at the end.
You'll cover the four main gods (Kāne, Kū, Lono, Kanaloa), Pele and her volcanic rivals, the Kumulipo creation chant, the strict kapu system abolished in 1819, menehune legends, and the hula traditions restored under King Kalākaua.
Pele is the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and fire. She is said to live in the Halemaʻumaʻu crater of Kīlauea on Hawaiʻi Island, and her fiery temper, love affairs, and rivalries with her sisters are central to Hawaiian lore.
Kumulipo is the 2,102-line Hawaiian creation chant, tracing the cosmos from primordial darkness (pō) through coral, fish, plants, and animals to humans. It was chanted around 1700 for the birth of the chief Kalaninuiamamao.
Kapu was the sacred Hawaiian code of prohibitions that governed diet, gender, and rank — for example, men and women ate separately, and women could not eat pork, banana, or coconut. It was abolished by King Liholiho in the ʻainoa ceremony of November 5, 1819.
Last updated: April 2026