Mythology, Religion & Legend β Power Ranking TOP 100
I wrote a book ranking the most powerful gods, monsters, and heroes from world mythology, religion, and legend! The ranking is heavily influenced by my own perspective, but every placement is grounded in the actual lore and episodes from each mythology, so I think it makes for a satisfying read.
In this post, Iβd like to introduce some of the characters featured in the ranking. There are many more beyond the ones mentioned here, so if youβre interested in mythology, religion, or legend, I think youβll enjoy it!
Rank 77: Maui (Polynesian Mythology)
Overview
Maui is the greatest hero of Polynesian mythology in general, including Hawaiian mythology.
His myths are full of extraordinary feats: finding the days too short, he lassoed the sun and slowed it down to lengthen the daylight hours; he lifted the sky up from the sea to create the starry heavens; using his magical fishhook Manaiakalani he pulled land up from the depths of the ocean to create Hawaii and the other islands; and he created all the living things of Polynesia.
His legends approach the level of a creator deity.
He is also known as the hero who tried to overcome death itself. In an attempt to gain immortality, he entered the body of his grandmother, the goddess of death Hine-nui-te-pΕ.
However, the birds accompanying him on his journey burst out laughing at the sight, waking Hine-nui-te-pΕ, causing Maui to fail β he was swallowed by her and died.
This is preserved as βthe death of Maui,β and in Polynesian mythology this event is why death came to exist for all humanity.
Why This Ranking
Maui holds a very high position in mythological terms, but he has almost no descriptions of strength per se, making him one of the more difficult subjects to evaluate. The sheer scale of his exploits is beyond anything other heroes can claim β thereβs no question that he possesses power of an entirely different dimension.
On the other hand, he is clearly not a combat-type being, and he is neither immortal nor immune to death β the goddess of death killed him without any particular difficulty. Compared to top-tier war gods, he feels somewhat lacking (whereas Hercules punched the goddess of death and stole back a soul from her).
Taking all of that into consideration, I placed him at this position in the ranking.
