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In Polynesian languages the word ''aitu'' refers to ghosts or spirits, often malevolent. The word is common to many languages of Western and Eastern Polynesia. In the mythology of Tonga, for example, ''aitu'' or ''eitu'' are lesser gods, many being patrons of specific villages and families. They often take the form of plants or animals, and are often more cruel than other gods. These trouble-making gods are regarded as having come from Sāmoa.〔In Rotuman similar beings are also called ''aitu''; this may be a borrowing from Tongan which, owing to historical contact, has provided a considerable part of the Rotuman vocabulary. See http://www.rotuma.net/os/Religion.html.〕 The Tongan word ''tangi lauaitu'' means to cry from grief, to lament. In Māori mythology, the word ''aitu'' refers to sickness, calamity, or demons; the related word ''aituā'' means misfortune, accident, disaster.〔The -ā suffix of ''aituā'' imparts the sense ''infested with aitu''.〕 In Tahitian, ''aitu'' (syn. atua/raitu) can mean 'god' or 'spirit';〔Fare vana'a dictionary ('raitu' is also an affectionate word given to a cherished child) ()〕 in other languages, including Rarotongan, Samoan, Sikaiana, Kapingamarangi, Takuu, Tuamotuan, and Niuean, ''aitu'' are ghosts or spirits. In Cook Islands ''Aitu'' is also the name of ancient tribes who came from the east. 〔''A dictionary of the Maori language of Rarotonga'', Manuscript by Stephen Savage. Suva : IPS, USP in association with the Ministry of Education of the Cook Islands, 1983. For an etymologic interpretation of the name Aitutaki see also "Myth and songs from the South Pacific" William Wyatt Gill, London, 1876.〕 In the Samoa Islands, ''aitu'' also means ghost. ==See also== *Atua *Kupua *Nuku-mai-tore *Polynesian mythology *Tui Fiti 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Aitu」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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