Tangaroa
| Tangaroa | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Tangaroa-whakamau-tai, Takaroa |
| Gender | Male |
| Region | Polynesia |
| Ethnic group | Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Moriori |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Ranginui and Papatūānuku Kāi Tahu: Temoretu |
| Siblings | Haumia-tiketike, Whiro, Rongo-mā-Tāne, Tāne Mahuta, Tāwhirimātea, Tūmatauenga, Rūaumoko |
| Consorts | Te Anu-matao Kāi Tahu: Papatūānuku |
| Offspring | Punga, Tinirau, and 9 daughters |
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.