Editing Ikatere

{{Short description|Fish god in Māori and Polynesian mythology}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=March 2017}}

{{Infobox deity
| type         = Polynesian
| name         = Ikatere
| god_of       = 
| other_names  = 
| cult_centre  = 
| symbol       = <!-- or | symbols = -->
| consort      = 
| parents      = [[Punga (mythology)|Punga]]
| siblings     = [[Tū-te-wehiwehi]]
| offspring    = 
| gender       = Male
| region       = [[Polynesia]]
| ethnic_group = [[Māori people|Māori]]
}}
In [[Māori mythology|Māori]] and [[Polynesian mythology]], '''Ikatere''', also spelled '''Ika-tere''',<ref name="MiDictionary">{{cite book|last1=Moorfield|first1=John C.|authorlink=John Moorfield|title=Te Aka : Maori-English, English-Maori dictionary and index|date=2005|publisher=Pearson Education|location=Auckland, N.Z.|isbn=978-0582548367}}</ref> ('fast fish')<ref name="TeAra">{{cite web| url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/ngarara-reptiles/page-2| title='Ngārara – reptiles, Page 2. From sea to land', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand| publisher=Bradford Haami| accessdate=4 May 2018}}</ref> is a fish god, the father of all sea creatures, including [[mermaid|mermaids]].

He is a son of [[Punga (mythology)|Punga]], and a grandson of [[Tangaroa]], and his brother is [[Tū-te-wehiwehi]]<ref name="MiDictionary"/><ref name="TeAra"/> (Grey 1971:1–5).

==Disagreements between brothers==
When [[Tāwhirimātea]] (god of storms) made war against his brothers for the separation of [[Rangi and Papa]] (sky and earth), Ikatere and Tū-te-wehiwehi were among those who had to flee from his wrath for their survival.<ref name="MiDictionary"/><ref name="TeAra"/> The two argued over whether they should stay in the sea or go to the land.<ref name="TeAra"/> Ikatere chose to keep his children, the fish, to the sea,<ref name="MiDictionary"/> while Tū-te-wehiwehi chose to take his children, reptiles, to the land.<ref name="TeAra"/> A saying that refers to the choices they made for their descendants goes as such:

:{|
| '''Māori'''
| '''Translation'''

|-
| ''Tāua ki uta, tāua ki te wai.''

| We of the land, we of the sea.<ref name="TeAra"/>
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
Grey 1971:1–5

[[Category:Animal gods]]
[[Category:Fish gods]]
[[Category:Māori gods]]
[[Category:Māori mythology]]


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