# Whakatau — Polynesian Mythology character guide

> Whakatau in Polynesian Mythology by George Grey.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** little Whakatau

**First appearance:** 0008-the-legend-of-t-whakararo

## Snapshot

A water-dwelling trickster who flies kites from beneath the sea and grows into a cunning avenger of his slaughtered kin.

## Who they are

Whakatau is raised by his ancestor Rongotakawiu, who teaches him every kind of enchantment, and his childhood is spent playing a strange game: flying kites while running along the bottom of the waters, only to slip back under whenever people on shore try to seize him. That elusiveness hardens into a purpose — he is the instrument of a long, patient revenge for his family's deaths. He matters because his story shows how magic and trickery, not brute strength, drive justice in this world, and his feuds ripple forward into the wars that eventually push whole tribes to migrate.

## Relationships

### [Hīoi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/polynesian_mythology_se/characters/hioi)

_family_

Hīoi is Whakatau's mother, a figure of authority and prophecy.

### [Hīoi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/polynesian_mythology_se/characters/hioi)

_family_

Hīoi is Whakatau's mother, a figure of authority and prophecy.

### [Hīoi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/polynesian_mythology_se/characters/hioi)

_family_

Hīoi is Whakatau's mother, a figure of authority and prophecy.

## In the story

### [The Legend of Rātā](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/polynesian_mythology_se/chapters/the-legend-of-r-t)

Son of Tūwhakararo and Apakura, born from an apron thrown into the sea.

## Links

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