• Unlike many of the other trickster figures we’ve

• Unlike many of the other trickster figures we’ve studied, Prometheus and Ma-ui might not at first seem like tricksters-they are too helpful and “nice,” at least compared to Loki, Coyote, Eshu, or Ajapa the Tortoise. What traits do Prometheus and Ma-ui display in their stories that indicate they are, in fact, trickster characters? Explain your answer in 100 150 words.

• In several of the stories from the Ma-ui cycle, there are different versions of the myth, depending on geographical location for example, the story of how Ma-ui brings fire to humanity, an alternate version of the Hina-of-the-Sea tale, and the fact that people in Hawaii don’t tell the story of his attempt to cheat death by stealing the heart of the Goblin-Goddess. Why do you think different locations in Oceania have alternate versions of myths about Ma-ui? What do these alternate versions tell us about life for the people of Oceania?

• Hesiod writes about the “Argument at Mekone” where the gods forever decided to part ways with humanity, leaving sacrifice as the only way for humans to communicate with divine beings. We get a clear sense of his nostalgia for this lost time, and Leonard and McClure comment on this wistful longing for the “Golden Age” in their introductory note. Why do we often long for a return to a “Golden Age”/”The Good Old Days?” What does it say about humanity that this impulse has existed since at least the time of Hesiod? Explain your answer in 150-200 words.