Ancient Hawaiians liked nothing more than a good love story. And our favorite is the Legend of Naupaka which explains why the mysterious Naupaka flower blooms only in halves on the beach and mountains of Hawaii Island.
The Legend of Naupaka
Hawaiian legend tells the story of the Volcano goddess Pele who attempted to woo a handsome young male away from his beautiful beloved woman.
When this handsome man did not return Madame Pele's affections, she became infuriated and set out to destroy the woman who held the man's attention.
To escape Pele's wrath, the young couple fled to the sea. Pele's sisters took pity on this young couple, helping them by turning the woman into the Beach Naupaka and turing the man into the Mountain Naupaka.
Legend has it that if you put the two half flowers together, so the left half and the right half touch ends, the man and the woman are joined together once again – giving luck to the couple who join them. |