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| | Oceanic Mythology: Part I. Polynesia: Chapter II. The Maui Cycle |
 | | Maui's birth is generally not dissimilar to that of his other brothers, in New Zealand the hero is declared to have been an abortion, which his mother wrapped up in her apron or topknot, and either abandoned in the bush or threw into the sea. |
 | | Maui had an ancestress to whom it was the duty of the elder brothers to carry food, but they neglected her and ate it themselves. |
 | | Maui fled, but was pursued by the flames, which threatened to consume everything, so that in distress he called upon rain, snow, and hail to aid him, and they, coming to his assistance, succeeded in putting out the conflagration and thus saved the world. |
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