Tangaroa

Tangaroa (Māori; Takaroa in the South Island dialect; cognate with Tagaloa in Sāmoan) is the great atua of the sea, lakes, rivers, and creatures that live within them, especially fish, in Māori mythology. As Tangaroa-whakamau-tai, he exercises control over the tides. He is sometimes depicted as a whale. In some of the Cook Islands, he has similar roles, though in Manihiki, he is the fire deity that Māui steals from, which in Māori mythology is instead Mahuika, a goddess of fire.