Goddess Pele – often known as Madam Pele – is associated with volcanoes and is regarded as the natural embodiment of fire. She is important in mythology as the creator of the Hawaiian Islands and the destructive force that can reshape them.
Legend says she was the daughter of an Earth Goddess and the Creator of the sky, earth and heavens. In one tale she was banned from her home in Tahiti for an indiscretion with her brother-in-law, another says her father sent her away because of her fiery temper. She is described as lusty, unpredictable and subject to sudden bouts of fury.
Her brother gave her a canoe to sail away but her sister followed, and a huge fight took place, and Pele ran again digging great fire pits. Finally, her sister found and killed her and left her bones on Maui, but her spirit found its way to Hawaii and she became a goddess.
She dug her final fire pit in the highly active Halemaumau crater at the top of Kilauea volcano on the main island. She travels the islands as a beautiful young woman, sometimes accompanied by a white dog.
A more modern fable is that she curses anyone who takes objects from Hawaii – sand, pumice or rocks – and that it will bring bad luck. It is said that tourists return items because they fear her fury, but in fact it is illegal to take minerals from any of the national parks.
Artists: Anne Hellyer, Janice Ballard, Mandy Dunning, Dee McElligott, Sarah Davis, Alison Young and Sarah Maddison
Price £495
The Alchemist's Needle 