A. W. Reed (1908–1979)

A fairly decent collection of tales. Slightly old-fashioned in presentation and aimed more at children. I found it hard to get into a lot of them, I think the presentation was quite bland in places.
However I enjoyed the introduction to the mythology.
I wonder if there's some rule about culture heroes that says they have to be jerks - a lot of Maui's actions seem to be motivated by jealousy or pettiness!

Second Reading July 2025
Chose this for bedtime reading with my young ward, and it turns out show more "bland" must have been an understatement, because I didn't remember I'd already read this until I saw the review above. I'm less inclined to be nice this time, so I've taken off a star for being forgettable! Really the problem with this is, it seems to be aimed at children but the language is far too archaic and complex and kind of...meandering?...to be understood by children today. I found myself trying to edit the language or skip unnecessary phrases to try to make the stories more suitable for young ears.

Our favourite stories were the ones where the supernatural women just up and left their mortal husbands if they got treated wrong. Unfortunately, they would always end up getting back together after the husband's grand journey of penitence. I'll always support confident queens knowing their worth and DTMFA. But because the tales are male-centric, unfortunately the "happy" ending involves the man learning a lesson and winning the girl back.

This book might be one to go in the donate pile - before I accidentally read it again! show less

Not a book to read, more of a reference, but I've been on the lookout for collections of Aboriginal / Maori myths and came across this when I was in New Zealand in June. It's exactly what it says on the packet: a book of the different proverbs used by Maori over time, in both the original language and an English translation. They're sorted by broad subject ranges and most of them include a small explanation (or a longer one if the proverb doesn't translate clearly, or uses idioms specific to show more the Maori).

Excellent for what it is. show less

Didn't finish reading. Ignores the vast differences in stories across Australia. Does a half job of telling the tales, not written in prose but doesn't describe the meaning of the stories.

This is the first volume in a series of books dedicated to Maori stories. There are traditional stories of taniwha and supernatural guardians, monsters, giants, ogres and ogresses and fairy-folk (patupaiarehe) of the forest. A wonderful look at the rich cultural heritage of New Zealand.