Jungian Therapy, Jungian Analysis, New York

aughter flees narcissistic mother: a Polynesian tale of pathological narcissism

Legend: Legends of the South Seas, Copyright Antony Alpers 1964. Thomas Y. Crowell, New York; Johnson and Alcock, London.
  • Maxson J. McDowell
Jungian analysis jungian therapy jungian analysis new york city carl jung analysis jungian therapist Maxson McDowell PhD, LMSW, LP is a senior Jungian analyst who has practiced in New York City for the past 24 years. He is also a past-president of the C. G. Jung Foundation in New York. Here he tells a Polynesian tale of a daughter and her narcissistic mother.


Introduction

Dream interpretation and the interpretation of fairy tales both require symbolic thinking: by working with fairy tales we can better understand dreams.
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Photo: source unknown.

Today's lecture is the second in a series. You don't have to listen to the two lectures in order, but you may want to hear the first one which is also on this website. Its title is: A daughter is buried alive but her mother rescues her.

Today's tale is from Tahiti, a Polynesian island in the south -pacific. I grew up in New Zealand, which is also part of Polynesia. First I'm going to read you the story. I should warn you that the Polynesians were cannibals.



Rona long-teeth

Our ancestor Tahaki of the red Skin was a great chief. Tahiki was descended from that female man-eater known as Rona niho niho roroa, therefore when we tell the story of Tahaki we begin with that woman, Rona long-teeth. She had good looks and was of high rank in the land, but because of her teeth and what she used them for her husband did not remain with her; he went away from that woman. She remained in their house, and after the man was gone she gave birth to her daughter, and named her Hina.

Hina was brought up properly by that mother. Rona washed her well when she was born, she rubbed her body every day with oil of sandalwood, and pressed her head to make it of handsome shape; she bit Hina's eye-lashes to make them grow long, and she rolled the tips of her lingers with her thumb to make them tapering and slender. She saw that she was fed with all good things; she fished the reef herself to catch the tenderest of crabs for Hina. That girl grew well, she became a beautiful young woman with chiefly manners, and she did not know what food it was her mother ate.

Rona's hiding place was in that hole through the cliff at Taharaa, the path which people use at low tide to avoid the climb. She waited there and caught men as they passed, and ate them. Therefore people became scarce in that district; there were houses without people, and there were bones in Rona's Cave.

One young man escaped that woman's teeth., Monoihere was his name, and he desired her daughter. He was handsome, and Hina desired him also, therefore they used to meet at Orofara, in a shady place near where the spring flows into Hina's Pool. That cave in the rock-face there was only known to them. For others it was quite closed up in former times, hut it opened and closed as they-two wished, and hid Monoi.

The time for their being together was when Rona had gone out on the reef for crabs. She was expert at this and was often to be seen far out off Matavai, bending over the reef to collect food for her daughter. Then it was safe for Hina and Monoi. Then Hina took a basket of food and went up to Orofara, and she said these words:


Monoihere is the man,
Hina is the woman.
Come out from there!

and from inside the rock the man replied:


Where is your mother with the long teeth?
Where is Rona?

and Hina answered him:


She is on the long reef,
She is on the short reef,
She is catching food for us,
O my lover!

Then Hina said:


O rock-foundation-
Break you open!

These words split the rock and let Monoi out and they-two had their custom in that shady place. Then Hina returned to her home and left Monoi closed up in the rock.

After a certain time Rona noticed that the food she caught was quickly gone. 'This daughter of mine eats much,' that mother said. One day therefore, when she had cooked the usual quantity for keeping, she said that she felt unwell, and lay down on her sleeping-mat, and snored.

And Hina, believing that her mother was asleep, took out some food and crept away; and Rona followed her. When she saw where Nina was going that woman took a short cut by enchantments, and she concealed herself at Orofara in a pua tree.

And Rona saw what happened in that place. She heard the words that Hina spoke, and she watched her daughter with the man: and she desired his flesh, that vahine kaitangata. Therefore she returned to her house, and snored on her mat when Hina came.

On the next day that eater-of-men said to Hina, "Tonight I go fishing by torchlight, so I will go now to collect dry leaves. Stay here, for I shall not he long."

But Rona went inland to Orofara; by enchantment she made the distance short and soon she stood before the rock, and she pretended to be Hina, saying:


Monoihere te tane,
O Hina te vahine.
A puta mai i vaho.

But Monoi knew the voice of that vahine kaitangata and he answered:


You are not Hina, you are Rona.
You are Rona of the Long Teeth.

She therefore knew that he was in that place and she said the words that are for splitting rock:


Te tumu o te papa e, vahia!

And the rock split open. Rona rushed in, she caught Monoi in the cave, and made a meal of him.

She ate the best parts first, she ate his fingertips and toes; she scooped his brains and ate them, she swallowed his liver, and she found out his kidneys and ate them also. She also ate his cock and the two that hang; but Monoi's heart that woman could not find. His heart concealed itself, it remained still beating in the mess of guts, and therefore Rona did not eat Monoi's heart.

When she had finished her meal she closed the cave behind her. Then she gathered up dry fronds to make her torches, and went home to Hina.

So soon as the moon came up that woman got her crab spear, and taking a young person to carry her torches, she went out wading on the reef. Then Hina filled a basket, and went inland to have enjoyment with Monoi. She stood before that rock and softly called:


Monoihere te tane,
O Hina te vahine.
A puta mai vaho.

But the rock was silent. Therefore Hina said the rest; she said:


Te tumu o te papa e, vahia!

and the rock split open, and she saw her lover's bones and guts. She spoke no word, that girl who loved, but straightway took her lover's heart, it was beating yet, and placed it by her own. Then she returned to her home to act.

Sad Hina cut the man-long stem of one banana tree, and laid it on her sleeping-mat, and she covered it with her sheet of soft white tapa. Then at the head she placed a drinking-nut; and she hurried from that place.

Well guided by her lover’s heart, she ran to Uporu, to the house of that hairy chief whose name was No'a huruhuru. No'a received her with kindness, and she remained at his house.

Now in the middle of that night when all her torches had been burnt, that woman Rona came home with her catch, and she called to her daughter in the house:


Here's food!

But the house remained silent. And Rona cried:


E Hina!
If you don't answer, you will be eaten by me!

But there came no answer from the house. Therefore Rona rushed to where her daughter was sleeping, she seized her body in the sheet and sliced it with a single bite.

And when she saw how she was tricked she was enraged, and cried out: "Aue! My food has escaped!" All through that night she was enraged.

So soon as the cocks were crowing in the valley and the first men were astir, Rona rushed out to look for Hina. She asked for her at every house and they told her which way that girl had gone.

That woman therefore hurried to the house of No'a huruhuru, and when she saw her daughter there she became all teeth. There were teeth on Rona's chin, teeth on her elbows, teeth on her belly.

But No'a huruhuru raised his spear, he cried out in a loud strong voice:


This spear, Tane te rau aitu,
has dealt with Te Ahua and Hine te aku tama!

Then he thrust that spear down Rona's throat, right down through all her teeth, She writhed and died.

Thus perished Rona niho niho roroa, the vahine kaitangata of Taharaa, the ancestor of Tahaki of the red skin. Her daughter Hina was the grandmother of that red chief.

(Tahiki was well known to a Polynesian audience. It is told that he made the island of Tahiti by cutting the sinews of a fish. And that Lightening came out his armpits. He achieved much while doing everything correctly, as a Polynesian aristocrat should. He was handsome to perfection. Everyone admired him, especially the women.)