The Birthmark

This story takes place in Kualoa, on the island of Oahu where a boy named Lauleneke (Lawrence) lived. He had a birthmark on his ankle and always wondered about it because it was such an unusual place for a birthmark. Lauleneke was very skilled at water sports. He was an excellent surfer and a great fisherman. But he always had a great fear of sharks because, each time he went to the open seas, he would see a big shark following him. He would feed the sharks out of respect, but always remained terrified of them.

One day, while talking with his grandfather about fishing, Lauleneke told him about this fear. His grandfather assured his grandson that nothing would ever happen to him in the water and that he need never be afraid of sharks because these animals were part of their family. He told his grandson that when he was a young man himself, he too had the same fear. And, one day when he was fishing, a shark attacked him from behind, biting him on his ankle. Immediately, he became afraid for his life. Then, suddenly, the shark let go and disappeared into the sea. When he went home, he showed his parents his foot. They explained that the shark had made a mistake in biting him and that when the shark would see him again, it would see the scar on his ankle and recognize him right away. His grandfather explained that the birthmark on Lauleneke's ankle was a promise from the god of sharks to him that he will never again need to be fearful of sharks. And so this fear vanished forever.

This Hawaiian legend was told by Kohokuahiahi Tibayan from Oahu.

We at 9Isles thank Kohokuahiahi Tibayan for sharing this legend with us.