# Faumea

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**Faumea** is a figure in [Polynesian mythology](/source/Polynesian_mythology), specifically that of the [Tuamotus](/source/Tuamotus) [archipelago](/source/Archipelago) of [French Polynesia](/source/French_Polynesia), where she is regarded as an "eel-woman".[1] The [sea god](/source/List_of_water_deities) [Tangaroa](/source/Tangaroa) encounters her when he sails to her island.[2] In addition to being an eel-woman, Faumea has eels within her [vagina](/source/Vagina) which eat men, reflecting the folk concept of [vagina dentata](/source/Vagina_dentata).[3] However, Faumea teaches Tangaroa how to lure the eels out and they have sex.[4] Faumea bears Tangaroa two sons: Tu-Nui-Ka-Rere (also called Rata-Nui) and Turi-A-Faumea.[1]

Later, Turi-A-Faumea's wife Hina-Arau-Riki is kidnapped by the octopus-demon [Rogo-Tumu-Here](/source/Rogo-Tumu-Here).[5] Faumea helps Tangaroa and their sons rescue Hina by holding the wind within "the sweat of her armpit" and then releasing it at Tangaroa's command to power their canoes.[1][5]

American [folklorist](/source/Folklorist) [Martha Warren Beckwith](/source/Martha_Warren_Beckwith) recorded a similarity or possible relation to the [fertility goddess](/source/List_of_fertility_deities) [Haumea](/source/Haumea_(mythology)).[1]

## References

1. Beckwith, Martha Warren (1976 [1st pub. 1940]). [*Hawaiian Mythology*](https://books.google.com/books?id=BqElGaH4DiIC&dq=faumea&pg=PA289). University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 9780824805142.

1. Cotterell, Arthur (1980). [*A Dictionary of World Mythology: 1St American Ed*](https://books.google.com/books?id=ExuhmHX4dUEC&dq=faumea&pg=PA293). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0192177478.

1. Ross, Sonja Brigitte (1994). [*Die Vagina dentata in Mythos und Erzählung: Transkulturalität, Bedeutungsvielfalt und kontextuelle Einbindung eines Mythenmotivs*](https://books.google.com/books?id=PhYMAAAAYAAJ&q=faumea) (in German). Holos. ISBN 978-3-86097-045-4.

1. Lederer, Wolfgang (1968). [*The fear of women*](https://archive.org/details/fearofwomen00lede). Grune & Stratton. faumea.

1. Coulter, Charles Russell & Turner, Patricia (2013-07-04). [*Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities*](https://books.google.com/books?id=VWxekbhM1yEC&dq=faumea&pg=PT406). Routledge. ISBN 9781135963972.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Faumea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faumea) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faumea?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.