--- title: The Water of Life [1] — Hawaiian Historical Legends · full text with trees description: The Water of Life [1], «Hawaiian Historical Legends» by W. D. Westervelt: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: “The Self-reliant Dragon” is frequently mentioned in the oldest Hawaiian legends. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66357/4/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Hawaiian Historical Legends](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66357/) / The Water of Life \[1\] # The Water of Life \[1\] The Water of Life \[1\] of «Hawaiian Historical Legends» by W. D. Westervelt: the whole text, 189 sentences and 2722 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66357/4/page/2/) “The Self-reliant Dragon” is frequently mentioned in the oldest Hawaiian legends.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") This dragon was probably a very old crocodile worshipped as the ancestor goddess of the Hawaiian chief families.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") She dwelt in one of the mysterious islands mentioned in the Hawaiian chants as Kua-i-Helani, “the Far-away Helani,” lying in the ancient far western home of the Polynesians.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") Iku was the chief.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") He had several sons.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") The youngest was Aukele-nui-a-Iku, Aukele the Great Son of Iku.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") Aukele was a favorite of the Self-reliant Dragon.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") She gave him a large bamboo stick.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") Inside she placed an image of the god Lono, and also a magic leaf which could provide plenty of food for any one who touched the leaf to his lips.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") She put in a part of her own skin.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") She said, “This skin is a cloak for you.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") If you lift it up against any enemies, they will fall to pieces as dust and ashes.”[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") They put all these treasures in the bamboo stick.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the dragon taught the boy all kinds of magic power.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") The brothers, who were great warriors, determined to sail away, find a new land and conquer it by fighting.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") Aukele persuaded them to take him.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he sent one to get the stick he had brought from the dragon pit which was near the sea.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") After a long time on the sea all their food was gone and they were starving and lying in the bottom of the boat.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") Aukele fed them from the leaf which he touched to their lips.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") Some days passed and Aukele said, “To-morrow we will come to a land where a woman is the ruler.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") Let me tell why we journey.”[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") They said, “Did you build this boat, and have you its chant?”[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") He said: “We must not call this a boat for war, but of discovery, to find new land.”[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") The chiefess of that land looked out and saw a boat in the ocean, and sent some birds to see what the boat was doing and learn whether it was a war canoe, or a travelling boat.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") The birds went out, and Aukele wanted his brothers to say it was a travelling boat.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") The birds asked and the brothers said: “This is a war canoe.”[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") The birds went away.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") Aukele took up the bamboo stick and threw it in the sea, and leaped in after it.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") The brothers threw the cloak of Aukele on the beach.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") The chiefess found the cloak and shook it toward the boat, then threw it away.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") The brothers broke into small dust and were destroyed.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") The boat and the brothers sank to the bottom of the sea.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") Aukele swam to the beach, pulled up his stick, found his cloak and lay down under a tree and slept.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") A watchdog came out, and smelled the man, and barked.[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") The chiefess called two women, and told them to see who it was, and if they found any one, kill him.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") They came down and the god of Aukele awakened him, and told him the names of the women.[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") The women came and he greeted them.[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") They were ashamed because he had found their names, and one said to the other, “What can we give him for naming us?”[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") The other said, “We will let him be the husband of our ruler.”[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") So they came and sat down by him, and they talked lovingly together and he won their hearts.[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") The women told him that they had been sent to kill him, but that they would say they did not find him; then other messengers would be sent.[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") They went home and told the chiefess: “We went to the precipice; there was no one there.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") Then to the forest and the sea.[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") There was no one there.[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") Perhaps the dog made a mistake.”[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") The chiefess turned the dog out again; at once there was more barking.[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") She told her bird brothers to go and look over the land.[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") Lono saw them and said; “Here is another death day for us.[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") I will tell you who these birds are.[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") When they come you say their names quickly and welcome them.”[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics") So he did.[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics") They wondered how he knew their names.[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") This knowledge gave him power over them and they could not harm him.[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") The birds also thought they would have to offer their ruler as a wife to this wonderful stranger.[54](54/ "tree and pragmatics") They went back to their sister and told her they had found a husband for her.[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") This pleased her.[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics") She sent them after Aukele.[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics") He told them he would go by and by.[58](58/ "tree and pragmatics") Lono said to Aukele, “Death has partly passed, but more trouble lies before us.[59](59/ "tree and pragmatics") When you go up do not sit down or enter the house.[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics") Stand at the door.[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics") First these two women will come.[62](62/ "tree and pragmatics") If they say ‘Aloha’ it is all right.[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") The dog will come and will try to kill you.[64](64/ "tree and pragmatics") When he has passed by, the brothers will come.[65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") The food they make and put in old calabashes, do not eat.[66](66/ "tree and pragmatics") See if the calabash has anything growing in its cracks.[67](67/ "tree and pragmatics") You will find new calabashes scattered over the ground.[68](68/ "tree and pragmatics") Food and fish and water are inside.[69](69/ "tree and pragmatics") Eat from these.”[70](70/ "tree and pragmatics") He made ready to go, and went up to the house, and stood by the door.[71](71/ "tree and pragmatics") The two women said “Aloha” and called to him to come in, but he would not enter.[72](72/ "tree and pragmatics") The dog ran out, opened her mouth and tried to bite Aukele through the magic cloak.[73](73/ "tree and pragmatics") The dog became ashes.[74](74/ "tree and pragmatics") The chiefess saw the dog was dead and was very sorry because he was the watchman for her land.[75](75/ "tree and pragmatics") The brothers came to him with food which they had put in moss-covered calabashes.[76](76/ "tree and pragmatics") He never touched it.[77](77/ "tree and pragmatics") It was the death food.[78](78/ "tree and pragmatics") He went to a place where green calabash vines were growing, took a calabash, shook it, broke it, opened it and found good food inside.[79](79/ "tree and pragmatics") Then they lived as man and wife.[80](80/ "tree and pragmatics") The chiefess had been a cannibal but at this time stopped eating men.[81](81/ "tree and pragmatics") Soon a son was born.[82](82/ "tree and pragmatics") After a time the bird brothers taught Aukele how to leap into the air and fly as a bird.[83](83/ "tree and pragmatics") The chiefess told her brothers to go away into the heavens and find her father, Ku-waha-ilo, a cannibal god.[84](84/ "tree and pragmatics") He was also the father of Pele, the goddess of volcanic fire.[85](85/ "tree and pragmatics") They must tell him that she had given all her treasures to her husband—stars, lands, and seas.[86](86/ "tree and pragmatics") She told them to take her husband to see the father.[87](87/ "tree and pragmatics") They flew away, Aukele flying faster than the others.[88](88/ "tree and pragmatics") The father saw him and thought his daughter was dead.[89](89/ "tree and pragmatics") He said, “She is the watchman for my land, and no man could come here if she were alive,” and he was angry.[90](90/ "tree and pragmatics") Lono told Aukele to put on his magic cloak that now covered him from head to foot.[91](91/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he understood there must be a battle.[92](92/ "tree and pragmatics") The cannibal father made fire, called Kuku-ena (the lightning); then Ikuwa, a stone crashing like thunder.[93](93/ "tree and pragmatics") The lightning and the crashing stone were struck by the cloak and rattled into ashes, cracking and breaking, reverberating, sounding like a drum.[94](94/ "tree and pragmatics") The bird brothers saw the fire and heard the thunder.[95](95/ "tree and pragmatics") They were far behind Aukele.[96](96/ "tree and pragmatics") They saw the lightning and the thunder defeated.[97](97/ "tree and pragmatics") After the battle, they all came before their father and told him that the daughter was well and this was her husband.[98](98/ "tree and pragmatics") After this flight to a cannibal land and this victory over the cannibal god, Aukele returned to his wife.[99](99/ "tree and pragmatics") After a time the ghosts of his brothers appeared to him and reminded him of their grave in the sea.[100](100/ "tree and pragmatics") Aukele was very sorry and ate nothing for days.[101](101/ "tree and pragmatics") His wife, with great sympathy, told him if he had strength enough to find the living water of Kane he could still restore his brothers.[102](102/ "tree and pragmatics") He was encouraged and ate.[103](103/ "tree and pragmatics") He asked what path he should take to find the land of the water of life.[104](104/ "tree and pragmatics") She made a straight line toward the East, the sunrise, and told him to fly straight, not swerving to either side.[105](105/ "tree and pragmatics") **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66357/4/page/2/) - ← previous: [Maui Seeking Immortality](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66357/3/) - next →: [page 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66357/4/page/2/) - ↑ back to [Hawaiian Historical Legends](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg66357/)