•Pele•
•Pele
is the fiery Hawaiian volcano goddess. The daughter of the earth
goddess Haimea, Pele came to Hawaii in a boat. Killed in a fight
with her sister, the ocean, she took refuge in the glowing cauldron of
Mount Kilaeua where she receives the souls of the dead and regenerates
them with fire. In a tempestuous relation with Kamapua'a, the ferocious
pig god, she is portrayed as a jealous goddess, her jealous rages manifesting
as volcanic eruptions. Revered by Hawaiians even today, she carries
the force of the volcano with its molten lave flow that even in destruction
is creating new land. Pele stands for the molten, pierce aspect of
life that is unable to do anything halfway. She reminds us that even
in the midst of fiery eruption there is creation and new life.•
description & paintings by Susan Seddon Boulet