# Tūmatauenga — Polynesian Mythology character guide

> Tūmatauenga in Polynesian Mythology by George Grey.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0003-the-children-of-heaven-and-earth

## Snapshot

The fierce son of Rangi and Papa who argues for war against his parents and becomes the god of humankind's struggles.

## Who they are

Tūmatauenga is one of the many children of Heaven and Earth, cramped in the darkness between their embrace, and when the brothers debate whether to separate their parents, he is the one who urges killing them outright. His ruthlessness sets him apart from Tāne and the others, and after the separation he becomes the patron of war and of human effort. He matters because he embodies the violent, striving side of existence — the force that later myths of human conflict and chiefly warfare are traced back to.

## In the story

### [The Children of Heaven and Earth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/polynesian_mythology_se/chapters/the-children-of-heaven-and-earth)

Fiercest child of Heaven and Earth; initially proposes slaying the parents, later fails to rend them apart.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/polynesian_mythology_se/characters/tumatauenga
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/polynesian_mythology_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/polynesian_mythology_se/characters