Tāne

The God of the Forests

Domain: Forests, Birds & Knowledge
Alignment: Lawful Good
Element: Earth
Relics of Power: Three Baskets of Knowledge

Speak with Tāne

The People

People

Polynesian peoples

Region

Pacific islands

Period

c. 1000 BC – present

The Polynesian gods were worshipped by the navigators who colonized the Pacific islands, from Hawaii to New Zealand and Easter Island. They honored them on sacred platforms (marae) and through the concept of mana, spiritual power. Their myths, such as those of the hero Maui, are still told among the Maori and Hawaiians.

On the marae, sacred stone platforms, priests offered first fruits and invoked the gods before fishing and war. The kapu (taboo) system ruled what was sacred and forbidden, and in Hawaii the hula was born as a devotional dance to goddesses like Pele and Laka.

The Sacred Scrolls

God of the forests, trees, birds, and all that lives in the woods, Tāne is one of the chief sons of Rangi and Papa. It was he who separated the sky father from the earth mother, bringing light to the world. Creator of the trees and birds, he is also the one who molded the first woman and brought knowledge to mankind. As The God of the Forests, this deity occupies a position of supreme prestige in the polinesios pantheon. Their domains over Forests, Birds & Knowledge reflect ancestral cosmic order maintained across millennia. In classical iconography, they are depicted with an aura of unshakeable majesty and sacred attributes that inspired reverence in emperors and peasants alike. Their influence extended beyond earthly boundaries, governing fates and harmony between the visible and invisible worlds. For ancient devotees, contemplating their essence was to understand the very fundamental forces of nature and human existence.

Sacred Symbols

The trees, the birds, the forest and the three baskets of knowledge

Divine Lineage

Son of Ranginui and Papatūānuku; god of the forests and creator of the first woman.

The Legendary Myth

It was Tāne who, lying on his back, pushed his father Ranginui upward with his legs, separating the sky from the earth and filling the world with light.

Legends & Deeds

A celebrated secondary legend preserved in the oral traditions of the polinesios recounts the journey when Tāne intervened directly in the lives of mortals.