Maluku
Hainuwele
Nature / Ancestral Spirit Danger 2 of 5 · Unsettling
- Form
- Coconut maiden goddess
- Origin
- Hainuwele, 'the Coconut Girl' of Seram: the maiden who emerged from a coconut blossom, excreted valuables, and was buried alive by jealous villagers at the Maro dance — from her body grew the food plants. The archipelago's most famous origin myth, recorded by Adolf Jensen.
- Behavior
- Her death originates cultivated plants and, in the myth cycle, mortality itself.
- Deterrents and vulnerabilities
- None; she is an origin, not a haunting.
- Diet
- Non-consumptive
- Culture
- Seram (Wemale/Alune)
- Region
- Maluku
- Sampling
- Added in dataset v3–v5; first placed on a tree here.
Coded characters
◆ New entry coded by folklore synthesis. Sex: Unspecified.
| Human-like | Humanoid, witch, or human spirit |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male, unspecified, or variable |
| Death or birth origin | Not death or birth related |
| Incorporeal | Embodied creature or witch |
| Flight | Grounded |
| Burial | None or weak |
| Children | None |
| Blood and organs | None |
| Theft and mischief | None |
| Hair or fur | None |
| Animal form | None |
| Detached head | None |
| Fire or light | None |
| Water | None |
| Forest | Forest, jungle, or mountain |
| Settlement | Village, house, hospital, or road |
| Black magic | Black magic or witchcraft central |
| Widespread | Localized |
| Body plan | Humanoid spirit |
| Diet | Non-consumptive |
Nearest on the tree
Identical coding to Orang Bunian, Hantu Rimba, Waruga Spirit, Dedemit, Lelembut, Peri, Roh Komodo, Penunggu, Putri Gunung Ledang, Wong Samar, Gamang, Putri Mandalika, so the tree cannot separate them.
