Note 18 — Tales of the Mythical Period

The tales give constant sanction for the marriage of near relatives. Dumanau, we are told, marries his cousin18, while we frequently meet with such statements as, “We are relatives and it is good for us to be married”, or “They saw that they were related and that both possessed magical power, so they were married (p. 35)”. It appears that a man may live with his sweetheart and have children by her, yet leave her, and, without reproach, marry another better fitted to be his wife (p. 54). He may also accept payment for a wife who has deserted him, apparently without loss of prestige (p. 64). No objection seems to be raised to a man having two wives so long as one of these is an inhabitant of the upper world (p. 111), but we find Kanag telling his former sweetheart that he cannot marry her since he is now married to another (p. 138). Again, when two women lay claim to Aponītolau, as their husband, they undergo a test and the loser returns to her former home (p. 94). However, this rule does not prevent a man from having several concubines (p. 120). Gawīgawen, we are told, is accompanied to a pakálon by eighteen young girls who are his concubines (p. 59).