Legend of Te Tuna by Adams, Richard - 1986

Sidgwick & Jackson, London, 1986. First Edition. Black Boards. Fine/Fine. Illustrator: Rico, Ul De. gilt titles spine; illustrated in colour & b/w.; "Three tremendous figures from the legendary world of the ancient Polynesian gods and heroes: Hina, beautiful goddess of the sky, the Polynesian Aphrodite, self-willed and shameless in the pursuit of her desires; Maui, the trickster-hero, half-human, half-divine, who, long ago, with his magic fish-hook, drew up the Pacific Islands out of the ocean and then, Prometheus-like, caught the sun in a snare and tied it fast to circle the earth for ever as the source of life; and Te Tuna, the terrible giant eel of the ocean depths, the most feared creature in the world. Te Tuna, ruling the ocean from his submarine coral palace, was the lover of Hina - for as long as he could keep her love from straying. When he learned that Maui had supplanted him, his wrath was more terrible than storm and earthquake. 'The legend fascinated me,' says bestselling author Richard Adams, 'from the moment I first heard it, some years ago, in Tahiti. I felt I had to try to write it for people this side of the world.' In this narrative poem he has retold unforgettably the greatest of South Sea legends, the tale of the duel to the death between Maui and Te Tuna, and of the harvest of that death, Te Tuna's divine gift from the grave. UI de Rico's superb illustrations, many in colour, form the perfect setting for Richard Adams' poem."; a mint condition copy; 71 pages. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Illustrator: Rico, Ul De. Quantity Available: 1. Category: Poetry; Polynesia; Polynesian Myths; Polynesian Legends; Myths, Legends & Folklore. ISBN: 0283993936. ISBN/EAN: 9780283993930. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: PTY00010. . 9780283993930