Tāne and Atlas

Tāne

In Māori mythology, Tāne (also called Tāne-mahuta or Tāne-nui-a-Rangi) is the god of forests and birds. He is the son of the sky father (Ranginui) and the earth mother (Papatūanuku). The children of Ranginui and Papatūanuku found themselves squashed between their parents with not enough space, so they try to separate their mother and father. After several failures, Tāne lies on his back and uses his powerful legs to force his mum and dad apart. To this day Tāne holds the earth and sky apart so there is room for us and the birds and forests to live.

The great kauri Tāne Mahuta (God of the Forest) is in Waipoua forest in Northland, and it stretches from the earth to the sky.

Atlas

In Greek mythology, Atlas is a Titan (God) who after the defeat of the Titans by the Olympians in the Battle of the Gods was condemned by Zeus to stand on the Earth and hold up the sky on his shoulders. He is often, wrongly, depicted in paintings and sculptures holding the earth on his shoulders, as on many maps or atlases.

One of the twelve labours of Hercules was to get some golden apples held by the Hespirides (or Atlantides) who were daughters of Atlas. Hercules agreed to hold up the sky for Atlas while Atlas got the apples for him. He did this by building the Pillars of Hercules which are the mount of Gibraltar and the mountain of Jebel Musa on either side of the straights of Gibraltar which separates the Mediterranean from the Atlantic.

You can help the forests and birds of New Zealand by joining Kiwicare and Predator Free 2050, using Atlas Trade Tools to dig out invasive species and plant native trees.