Maori Myths & Legendary Tales

by Alexander Wyclif Reed, Dennis Turner (Illustrator)

Myths and Legends told about the Maori people and culture.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, History, Folklore

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

About the author

Alexander Wyclif Reed (1908 – 1979), also known as Clif Reed and A. W. Reed, was a prolific New Zealand publisher and author.

As an author he was known most commonly as A.W. Reed.
Reed wrote many books on topics such as myths, language, and place names of both Māori and Australian Aboriginal cultures.

With his uncle Alfred, he established the publishing firm A. H. & A. W. Reed.

Reviews

[Amanda Nunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly decent collection of tales. Slightly old-fashioned in presentation and aimed more at children. I found it hard to get into a lot of them, I think the presentation was quite bland in places.
However I enjoyed the introduction to the mythology.
I wonder if there's some rule about culture heroes that says they have to be jerks - a lot of Maui's actions seem to be motivated by jealousy or pettiness!

Second Reading July 2025
Chose this for bedtime reading with my young ward, and it turns out "bland" must have been an understatement, because I didn't remember I'd already read this until I saw the review above. I'm less inclined to be nice this time, so I've taken off a star for being forgettable! Really the problem with this is, it seems to be aimed at children but the language is far too archaic and complex and kind of...meandering?...to be understood by children today. I found myself trying to edit the language or skip unnecessary phrases to try to make the stories more suitable for young ears.

Our favourite stories were the ones where the supernatural women just up and left their mortal husbands if they got treated wrong. Unfortunately, they would always end up getting back together after the husband's grand journey of penitence. I'll always support confident queens knowing their worth and DTMFA. But because the tales are male-centric, unfortunately the "happy" ending involves the man learning a lesson and winning the girl back.

This book might be one to go in the donate pile - before I accidentally read it again!

[Paul Groos · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are quite a few nice stories in this book, and a lot of boring ones, but even those would benefit from a better retelling. The writing style is boring and often it is quite hard to follow the storyline. The author plucks characters, situations, items and other story elements out of the air, not introducing them, surprising and confusing the reader. I found my mind wandering in most of the stories and keeping focus required conscious effort. The order of the stories lacks logic and adds to the overall confusion.
This book is from 1949 and written in an outdated style. Instead of reprinting it time and time again, why not have a modern Maori author write new, modern versions of these timeless and intriguing tales?

[WIlliam Gerrard · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother is from New Zealand so therefore I'm half Kiwi. This book explores some of the Maori Myths and legends that existed mainly in oral tradition before the arrival to Aeteorora of the White European Pakeha settlers. The Maori history goes back to their ancient homes in other Polynesian Islands. The Maori heroes include Mataoroa, Niwareka, Maui, Tawhaki, Rupe, Rata and Tinirau. There are mythical romances often centred around the Whare and involving mythical creatures, whales and birds. Lots of Maori canoes and journeys to the heavens. The sacredness of nature in Maori folklore is evident plus the tales demonstrate a civilised morality. I found the stories very quaint and readable and it deepened my understanding of Maori culture and therefore New Zealand. Highly recommend.

[H.Friedmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked up at the New Zealand Arts & Crafts Village in Rotorua, NZ. It is part of both my continuing interest in the myths and legends of the world, and my general interest in New Zealand literature.
Besides general "how it came to be stories", tales of daring and romance as well as the tales of Maori migration.
I don't know how it holds up for someone familiar with the stories already, but for someone with just a passing knowledge of the Maori culture, it was a good read. The editors occasionally referenced the current names of locations when applicable, which was additionally helpful.

[Big Bouncing Flea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very difficult to read. Can't decide if it was the stories themselves which were somewhat depressing or if it was the way they were writing. Still interesting in the concept of I love learning about cultures but certainly not something I would recommend generally speaking

[Dan Vine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic collection I grew up with. Sometimes the attempts to render the stories ‘family friendly’ render then a tad incomprehensible.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of an interesting book about Maori myths about gods, man, plants, etc., but I found that the stories weren't really told in an artful way which made some of them a little dull to read.

[Ipshita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories but not deeply reflective or philosophical

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I agree with many of the other reviewers about the writing style of these myths (at times I had to reread parts to understand what was happening), I loved learning about Māori myths and legends. Their culture and beliefs are so beautiful and full of meaning. I especially love the creation myths. I really want to read other Māori works now. I think this book is a good introduction.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disjointed and at some places confusing (maybe because of my lack of knowledge) but also was meant to be for beginners.

[Ezra · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have seen "Moana" and want to read some of the original stories about Maui, then this book is for you. He shows up in maybe up to a dozen ones.

I picked this up at Te Puia where we were able to attend as guests to a dinner. Maori have a fascinating culture. Their stories are much more varied and interesting than the Irish, Norse, and German ones I have previously read.

[Sergiy · Rating 5 out of 5]

great!