The Little People in Hawaii
Something Hawaii has in common with Ireland is extensive mythology with similar characters. Both Ireland and Hawaii have “little people.” Native Hawaiians attribute just as many magical powers and good deeds to the “menehunes” as the Irish do to the leprechauns.
The menehunes are never seen and that’s because legend has it they do their best work at night. Many ancient stoneworks are supposed to have been crafted by the Polynesian wee folk who worked by the light of the moon.
Additionally, Ireland has the banshee and Hawaii has Madame Pele, the volcano goddess who is prone to sudden fury, devouring land and structures with molten lava, and sometimes appearing as an ominous old woman on dark, lonely highways. The traditional way of appeasing Madame Pele is by dropping a bottle of gin into the volcano.
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