Black Horse

Sina, Hina and the Eel

In short: Compare how the first coconut palm appears in Samoan and Wallis tellings.

Sina, Hina and the Eel · A coconut palm sprouts from an eel FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 177 Sina, Hina and the Eel Compare how the first coconut palm appears in Samoan and Wallis tellings. Origin Polynesian origin narratives recorded in Samoa and Wallis. The Atlas gives each publication its own date. Atlas record 2016 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF A coconut palm sprouts from an eel Reach¹ 2/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 2 records · 2 countries or regions blackhorsestories.com

¹ Based on the number of Atlas countries, capped at 10. ² Editorial suggestion for reading this page. Discover Black Horse’s question

Origin and tradition

Polynesian origin narratives recorded in Samoa and Wallis. The Atlas gives each publication its own date.

In the Samoan telling Sina cares for an eel that grows and eventually asks her to bury its head. In Wallis, Hina takes the eel into a bowl called a kumete. As the bowl grows too small, the relationship changes. Both tellings end with a palm sprouting, but in Wallis the bowl signals danger step by step.

Dated records and sources

  1. 2016 · Samoa
    Leilani Watson · Sina and the Eel: A Tale from Samoa · Public retelling
  2. 2021 · ʻUvea, Wallis
    Îles lettrées · La naissance du cocotier · Public retelling

Country pages

Fairy Tale Glossary

Origin
Black Horse. Sina, Hina and the Eel. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-sina-hina-eel/