Myth of the Naupaka Flower
Zora Marie- We have author J.L. Eck here with us today. I hear your novel is based on the Hawaiian myth of the naupaka flower. I must say, that’s one myth I’ve not heard much about, but I’d love to learn! Where did you first hear about this myth or how you stumble across it?
J.L. Eck- I first vacationed on Maui in 2006 and I instantly knew that I had to live in Hawaii. I’ve always been obsessed with beaches even though I was born in Utah and I was living in Arizona at the time. So I moved to Oahu a few months later. And I was fascinated with all things Hawaiian, especially the history of the Hawaiian people and all of the Hawaiian myths and legends. I started reading all the books I could find on Hawaiian history and I had just started writing my first novel (which had nothing to do with Hawaii except the setting) when I came across the myth of the naupaka flower. I knew it belonged in my novel right away so I reworked my original idea to make it centered around the myth.
Zora Marie- That’s awesome! I hope to visit Hawaii someday, maybe we’ll get lucky and run into each other if I do.
J.L. Eck – Sadly, I no longer live in Hawaii! My husband, 3-year-old daughter and I moved to Portland last November. My hubby is from Portland. We wanted to be closer to family now that we have our daughter. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss Hawaii though. Hawaii is my true home. Someday I will move back there…
Zora Marie- Well, there’s still hope to meet yet! I have several angora rabbit breeding friends that live near Portland that I hope to visit sometime. That and there are some breathtaking views to be had on the way there! So, what is it about the myth of the naupaka flower that drew you in?
J.L. Eck – There are several versions of the naupaka flower myth but they all resemble the Romeo and Juliet tragic love story. In one version, Pele, the goddess, was jealous of her sister Naupaka because she had the love of a handsome fisherman named Kaui. So Pele killed Naupaka and Kaui with her lava and that is when the naupaka flower first started to grow.
In another version, the version I went with for my novel, a princess fell in love with a commoner but the lovers were not allowed to be together (princesses had to marry other royals) and they were forced apart. The princess went to live and die alone in the mountains while the commoner went to live and die alone by the sea. There are two types of naupaka flowers – one grows in the mountains and one grows by the sea. Both types only grow with half their petals though. The myth claims that the flower was a symbol of the love between the princess and the commoner and after their tragic deaths the flower never grew whole again.
I had recently read Juliet by Anne Fortier and her book is based on the Romeo and Juliet story with her main characters reincarnated in modern day. So her novel also strongly shaped my novel.
I’m a romantic and I love a good love story with a happy ending, which is what my novel is.
Zora Marie- That’s a very interesting myth that pulls on the heart strings. Makes me want to visit just so I can see the naupaka flower in person and of course take in the views. If you would like to learn more about the naupaka flower please check out J.L. Eck’s novel. Thank you for reading!
Learn more about J.L. Eck’s novel by clicking the link below:
Naupaka Blooming: A Reincarnation Romance Based on the Myth of the Naupaka Flower
