Editing Whiro

{{Short description|Māori god of darkness and evil}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox deity
| image       =
| alt         =
| caption     =
| type        = Polynesian
| name        = Whiro-te-tipua
| deity_of    = [[Atua]] god of darkness, evil, and death
| other_names  =
| cult_centre  =
| abode       = Taiwhetuki
| symbols       = <!-- or | symbols = -->
| consort     =
| parents     = [[Rangi and Papa|Ranginui and Papatuinuku]]
| siblings    = [[Urutengangana]], [[Tāwhirimātea|Tāwhiri]], [[Tangaroa]], [[Kiwa (mythology)|Kiwa]], [[Tū]], [[Tāne]]
| offspring   =
| gender       = Male
| equivalent1_type =
| equivalent1 =
| equivalent2_type =
| equivalent2 =
| region       = [[Polynesia]]
| ethnic_group = [[Māori people|Māori]], [[Tuamotuan language|Paʻumotu]] people
}}

'''Whiro-te-tipua''' (aka '''Whiro''') is the lord of darkness and embodiment of all [[evil]] in [[Māori mythology]].<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_29_1920/Volume_29%2C_No._113/Gods_of_Maori_worship%2C_by_Hare_Hongi%2C_p_24-28/p1 |title=Gods of Maori worship |last1=Hongi |first1=Hari |journal=Journal of the Polynesian Society |volume=29 |issue=113 |year=1920 |pages=26–27 |access-date=19 December 2022}}</ref><ref name="MaoriDictionary">{{cite web| url=https://maoridictionary.co.nz/search?keywords=whiro| title=Māori Dictionary search results for 'Whiro'| publisher=John C Moorfield| access-date=25 January 2020}}</ref>  Usually depicted as a lizard-like creature, he inhabits the [[underworld]] and is responsible for the ills of all people, a contrast to his brother and enemy [[Tāne]].<ref name=Best1976>{{cite book |url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bes01Reli-t1-body-d4-d4-d9.html |title= Maori Religion and Mythology Part 1 |author=Elsdon Best |publisher=A. R. Shearer |location=Wellington |year=1976 |page=185-187 |access-date=19 December 2022}}</ref> 

According to some tribes, when people die, their bodies descend into the underworld, where they are eaten by Whiro. Each time Whiro eats a body, he becomes stronger. This process will eventually make him sufficiently powerful to break free of the underworld, at which point he will come to the surface and devour everything and everyone on it. [[Cremation]] is therefore recommended to prevent this, because Whiro cannot gain strength from ashes.

Taiwhetuki – Whiro's House of Death – is a deep and dark cave<ref>{{cite web|title=Black hole "resembles Whiro, atua of darkness" – Māori astronomer|url=https://www.teaomaori.news/black-hole-resembles-whiro-atua-darkness-maori-astronomer|publisher=Te Ao Māori News|access-date=25 January 2020}}</ref> where all things evil are preserved, such as [[black magic]]. It is a place in which countless personifications of illnesses and diseases dwell.<ref name="TheMaori66">{{cite book|author=Best, Elsdon|date=1924|title=The Maori – Volume 1|publisher=Harry H. Tombs, Wellington|page=66}}</ref>

[[Geckos]], [[skinks]], and [[tuatara]] were feared because of their spiritual association with Whiro.<ref name="MaoriDictionary"/>

Whiro is also used as a name for the planet Mercury.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Whiro - Te Aka Māori Dictionary |url=https://maoridictionary.co.nz/word/10340 |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=Whiro - Te Aka Māori Dictionary |language=en}}</ref>

== Confusion ==
Whiro-te-tipua (Iro in Rarotonga)  was a Polynesian voyager who shared a name with the offspring of Papatūānuku and Ranginui. Little was known as to whether he actually arrived in New Zealand, though some of the tribes trace their lineage from him, especially perhaps the people of Whanganui.<ref name=Best1976/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Journal of the Polynesian Society: The Legend Of Whiro, By Elsdon Best, P 111-116 |url=https://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document//Volume_31_1922/Volume_31,_No._123/The_legend_of_Whiro,_by_Elsdon_Best,_p_111-116/p1 |access-date=2022-09-15 |website=www.jps.auckland.ac.nz}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Mythology|New Zealand|Oceania}}
* [[Ghosts and spirits in Māori culture]]
* [[Hades]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Chaos gods]]
[[Category:Death gods]]
[[Category:Māori gods]]
[[Category:Night gods]]
[[Category:Polynesian gods]]
[[Category:Evil gods]]


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