Tradition / Region: Papua New Guinea Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Sea Dweller, Jellyfish
The Myth
On a reef near the village of Mawata lives Erumia, an enormous jellyfish feared and respected by the people. All ordinary jellyfish are said to be her children, spreading through the sea as extensions of her presence. Many men claim to have seen her with their own eyes.
Erumia is deadly. Her sting can kill a person, and when swimmers see long, slimy strings drifting toward them in the water, they know these are her trailing tendrils. At such a sight, there is no thought of bravery—only flight. To remain is to risk death.
Yet Erumia is not merely a threat. She is the patron of all fish and holds power over the sea’s abundance. To certain men she appears in dreams, granting them “lucky things” for fishing—signs, charms, or knowledge that ensure a successful catch. Through these gifts, she sustains life even as she threatens it.
The Mawata people themselves are closely linked with Erumia. Neighboring groups regard her as their ororodrora, a powerful mysterious being bound to their identity. When Mawata visitors arrive elsewhere, they may be greeted with the words, “The Erumia people have come,” acknowledging this spiritual association.
Erumia’s presence is also remembered in song. In a serial chant describing a journey eastward from Adiri, her domain is marked by the hanging jellyfish strings near the mouth of the Bina River—a sign that one has entered her waters.
Thus Erumia remains both guardian and danger: mother of jellyfish, ruler of fish, giver of fortune, and bringer of death, dwelling silently on her reef while her influence drifts far beyond it.
Gallery
Sources
Landtman, G. (1970). The Kiwai Papuans of British New Guinea: A nature-born instance of Rousseau’s ideal community.
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Erumia