Papua New Guinea Sea Dweller Mythology

Ebihare

by

Tradition / Region: Papua New Guinea Mythology
Alternate Names: Bihare
Category: Sea Dweller

The Myth

In Kiwai Papuan folklore, Ebihare is a general name used for all mythical beings that live in the sea. Before people learned how to fish, the inhabitants of Mawata did not eat fish at all. Fish were called ebihare, and people would flee from them in fear, collecting only shellfish instead. It was only later, when Bija became the first person to fish, that this fear began to change.

The words bihare and ebihare are commonly used to describe unknown or unnamed sea creatures, especially those believed to be dangerous or supernatural. Any sea being without a specific name may be called ebihare. Because of this, the term covers many kinds of mythical sea creatures rather than a single form.

Ebihare are thought to be harmful to fishermen and sailors. People avoid areas of the sea where they believe these beings live. Their presence is said to be revealed by sudden disturbances in the water—whirlpools, swirling eddies, or ripples that look as though the sea is boiling in a pot.

One story tells of a man from Kubira named Meuri, who had fallen into disgrace among his people. During a raid in Dawar, he allowed himself to be killed by enemies, and his wife was killed as well. Some time later, their children set out by canoe to travel to Dawar. On the journey, the canoe sank, and the children were transformed into bihare, becoming beings of the sea themselves.

Gallery

Sources

Bestiary.us contributors. (n.d.). Ebihare. In Bestiary.us, from https://www.bestiary.us/ebikhare/

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 Ebihare

Erumia

by

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

The Gebaro Crab

by

Tradition / Region: Papua New Guinea Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Crab, Sea Dweller

The Myth

Near the village of Gebaro there once lived a monstrous crab, feared by all who knew of it. Its body was enormous, and its shell was as hard as solid stone.

The people tried many times to destroy the creature. They shot arrows at it and struck it with clubs, but every weapon failed. Arrow points shattered, and blows rang out uselessly against its armored shell. No wound could be made, and no crack appeared.

Because the crab could not be harmed, the people learned to avoid the place where it lived. It remained there, undefeated and unchallenged, a living proof that some beings cannot be overcome by human strength.

The Gebaro crab became a symbol of invulnerability—an enemy not meant to be slain, but endured and respected from a distance.

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 Gebaro Crab

The Gigantic Crab of Aibinio

by

Tradition / Region: Papua New Guinea Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Crab, Sea Dweller

The Myth

Near Aibinio there was once a small island where the Wiorubi people found an enormous crab, far larger than any ever seen before. Its shell was vast, its claws powerful, and it stood unmoving as men and women gathered around it.

Believing it could be captured, several people approached together. At that moment, the crab suddenly opened one of its great nippers. With terrifying speed, it seized the hands of those closest to it and dragged them into the lagoon. None could break free.

As the people were pulled under, the creature stirred the water with immense force. The lagoon began to spin, churning faster and faster until the water rose and roared. The island itself was torn apart and washed away, swallowed by the whirling waters. When the storm of water finally ceased, nothing remained of the island. Only a deep whirlpool marked the place where it had once stood.

The gigantic crab still dwells there beneath the surface. At every high tide, the water twists and surges in a powerful eddy, just as it did on the day the island vanished. The people say the creature is not a true crab, but an or or dr or a—a mysterious and dangerous being whose form only resembles an animal.

To this day, the waters near Aibinio are treated with fear and caution, for the crab waits below, and the sea still remembers its strength.

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 Gigantic Crab of Aibinio