"Mr. Rice's theory as to the origin of these legends is based on the fact that in the old days, before the discovery of the islands by Captain Cook, there were bards and storytellers, either itinerant or attached to the courts of the chiefs?these bards or storytellers sometimes used historical incidents or natural phenomena for the foundation of their stories, which were handed down from generation to generation."

Hawaiian Legends (1923) is a collection of Hawaiian myth and folklore complied and translated by William Hyde Rice. Having been born and spent his entire life immersed in the culture of Hawaii, Rice spent many years collecting and translating the stories he had heard in his childhood, gathered through books and sought out from elders. Determined to capture the authentic spirit of the Hawaiians, his cumulative volume is a celebration of the days of old Hawaii and the stories that have lived through the ages.

This edition of William Hyde Rice's Hawaiian Legends is a classic of Hawaiian literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Spending almost the entirety of his life immersed in the culture and language of Hawaii, William Hyde Rice was determined to produce a translation of Hawaiian legends that preserved the spirit of Native Hawaiians, their flavor, rhythm and pacing. The result of his efforts, Hawaiian Legends, is a celebration of the days of old Hawaii and the tellers of stories.