Written By: AiKeiCharlie

The Curse

Pele's Curse is the belief that anything natively Hawaiian, such as sand, rock, or pumice, will bring bad luck on whoever takes it away from Hawaii. One version about the legend's genesis is this: a disgruntled park ranger, angry at the number of rocks that were being taken from the islands by visitors, said that Pele would curse them with bad luck should they take anything. Another version often told is that bus drivers, tired of the dirt and grime brought on their buses by the tourists' collection of rocks, started the story at the beginning of each tour to discourage the rock collecting.

The myth has caught on, told as if it were an original Hawaiian taboo, and every year countless tourists send these back in order to escape the awful luck that Pele has caused them.

So, although the legend itself is probably of twentieth-century origin, the removal of rocks as souvenirs is now frowned upon by Hawaiians. Also, it is illegal to remove minerals from within a U.S. national park.

Story

Once upon a time, there were two lovers that were inseparable. No one could break them apart. They loved each other that much. They were none other than Ohi'a and Lehua. Their love at first sight was at the village dance and Lehua was drawn towards the tallness and handsomeness of Ohi'a while Ohi'a, was drawn to Lehua's beauty, though Lehua was a sweet and gentle person that was precious and fragile as a flower. She was a sensitive person. She was also quite popular around the island due to her outstanding beauty that any man would fall for her at first glance and everyone talked alot about her, like the Belle of the town. Due to her beauty, her father was overly protective of her as she was his only child.

One day, when Lehua spotted her father talking to bold and handsome, Hercules-like Ohi'a, she turned beet red just at the sight of him, like her knight in shining armor, she fell for him. Her eyes wouldn't stop looking away as they actually moved away from his sight. All she did was stare at him. Yes, she kept staring at him like drooling over your favorite chocolate. She got that addicted and obsessed over him and legit fell for him. In that split second, the handsome, mighty man Ohi'a looked at Lehua and his jaw dropped to the sight of Lehua's beauty. I bet he drooled. Yes, he probably did. Most importantly, he didn't realize that he had stopped mid-sentence and was only staring at the angelic Lehua before him.

Lehua's father, who had been observing Ohi'a, nudged the young man giving him a reality check. Ohi'a couldn't master words as he stuttered and stammered, staring at Lehua as he couldn't take his dreamy eyes off her. Lehua's father was really interested by Ohi'a' behaviour and the way he looked at his daughter. So, he offered a proper introduction and conversation with her wonderful and beautiful daughter.

From that moment on Lehua became his woman. There was no other beauty except for Lehua. Ohi'a' personality outwitted Lehua to fall for him more than ever and she couldn't stop loving him. And this called for a wedding. Lehua's father had no other choice but to give her daughter in the hands of the young man and they lived happily ever after! But it wasn't over... yet!

One day, in a beautiful forest, a young beautiful goddess was walking by and spotted the young, handsome Ohi'a. It was none other than the Goddess Pele. Pele was drawn to him, and she walked over to him to try and get into a conversation. He spoke with politeness and with no other motive in his mind as he was only drawn to his wife. This angered the beautiful goddess really bad that the ground shook! Pele was really desperate. Desperate to have Ohi'a for herself. This was when Lehua showed up, glittering up the place as she showed her utmost beauty.

Lehua was the only woman that Ohi'a loved, and he would never love another. This angered Pele even more that if she could rip Lehua's heart at that moment, she would. But she didn't, only casting a spell on the land. She transformed herself into a raging volcano, dragging Ohi'a along, turning him into a twisted ugly tree as revenge.

Lehua fell to her knees the moment her husband transformed into something utterly ugly. She begged, weeping for a beloved husband and her heart was entirely broken to the sight of her husband. She begged Pele to turn her husband back, but she completely ignored her and just grew her anger more by spitting fire. The Gods who had been watching Lehua weeping and hearing her cries, saw Pele's darkness and anger that the Gods turned Lehua into a beautiful red flower. They placed her on top of a branch of the twisted tree as Lehua could forever be with her husband. They could never be parted.

They had a happy ending as till this day the red flowers bloomed, and the tree stood still. But be warned! Never pluck a flower from the tree as the land could be flooded with tears of Lehua with heavy rain. That's because Lehua could never be parted from Ohi'a.

Significance

According to Hawaiian mythology, Pele is the fire goddess. Connected to volcanoes, lightning, fire and wind, she is considered the creator of the Hawaiian Islands. Due to this, Pele is one of the best-known gods of the islands. Even today, visitors to the Ainopio Trail and the summit of Mauna Loa bring offerings to Pele. Long ago, native Hawaiians began this tradition by climbing Mauna Loa with offerings to appease Pele and win her favor. This same gorgeous trail can be used by visitors to reach the summit and commune with the lava goddess.

Wrath of Pele Lives On

While Pele was doomed to forever live separately from her first love, her jealousy and vengeful nature lived on. Today, a modern myth says that anyone who removes lava rocks from the islands will be cursed by Pele. Due to this, the post offices on Kilauea receive thousands of packages every year with returned lava rocks. Concerned that their bad luck was caused by the wrathful Pele, tourists across the world have returned stolen rocks to Pele's islands.

Presently, Pele's Kilauea Volcano remains the most active volcano in the world. From time to time, lava flows from beneath the surface as Pele makes her presence known. For an unusual take on the history and mythology of the islands, check out the volcano and other local sites connected to Pele.