The Man-Eating Ogre
Qasavara is the great adversary of the hero Qat in the mythology of the Banks Islands in northern Vanuatu, a vui (spirit) portrayed as a tyrannical, man-eating ogre. In the Mota account collected by Codrington, Qasavara killed Qat's brothers and stored their remains in his food-chest; Qat sought them out, revived the brothers from their bones by blowing through a reed and commanding them to laugh, and then turned on the ogre. In one telling Qat lured Qasavara out by dropping fruit upon his house and slew him with a shell hatchet; in another Qat let go the bent tip of a casuarina-tree so that it sprang back and hurled Qasavara upward, his head striking against the sky, and he fell back to earth and turned into a stone. Sacrifices were afterwards made on that stone by those who wished to become valiant and strong in fighting.
Domains
- cannibalism
- martial valour
Powers
- to hunt down and devour men
Relations
- slayer of: Maker of the WorldIn the Mota tale Qasavara killed Qat's brothers, the Tangaro, and hid their bones in his food-chest; Qat found the bones and brought his brothers back to life by blowing through a reed and bidding them laugh, and afterwards destroyed the ogre in revenge.R. H. Codrington, The Melanesians: Studies in their Anthropology and Folk-Lore (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1891), pp. 156-158 (secondary); R. B. Dixon, Oceanic Mythology (The Mythology of All Races, vol. IX; Boston: Marshall Jones Company, 1916), Part II, 'Melanesia' (secondary)
Sources
- Qasavara is the man-eating ogre-spirit (vui) of the Banks Islands Qat cycle who slew Qat's brothers and was destroyed by Qat, falling to earth as a stone on which men sacrifice for prowess in fighting.: R. H. Codrington, The Melanesians: Studies in their Anthropology and Folk-Lore (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1891), pp. 156-158 (secondary); R. B. Dixon, Oceanic Mythology (The Mythology of All Races, vol. IX; Boston: Marshall Jones Company, 1916), Part II, 'Melanesia' (secondary)