The Haunting of the Volcano Goddess

Madam Pele, the Volcano Goddess – Maui County, Mauna Loa, Hawaii

Photograph ©Thalia D. Naidu

Madame Pele, the renowned Volcano Goddess, stands as an enduring legend in the rich tapestry of Hawaiian mythology. According to the captivating tale, Pele faced expulsion from Na-maka-o-kaha’I by her sister, the sea goddess. Seeking solace, she sought refuge atop Mauna Loa, translated as the "Long Mountain," where the warmth she yearned for could be found once more.

Mauna Loa, the largest volcano globally, sprawls across half of Hawaii's Big Island, boasting a formidable presence. This geological giant has rumbled to life in a staggering thirty-three eruptions since the year 1843, with the most recent documented eruption dating back to 1984.

The captivating lore surrounding Madame Pele extends beyond the confines of myth, as islanders and visitors alike claim to have glimpsed her descending from the mountain to issue warnings of impending eruptions. Notably, numerous sightings recount her accompanied by a small, white dog, adding an element of mystique to the narrative.

Intriguingly, the year 1959 marked an unusual chapter in the saga of Madame Pele when members of the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory staff reported sightings of a white dog. In their attempts to capture the elusive canine, they faced repeated failures. Remarkably, in December of that fateful year, two active craters erupted, coinciding with the mysterious appearances of the white dog. Although sightings persisted until around 1966, the connection between the enigmatic dog and the volcanic activity remains an unexplained phenomenon.

As for Madame Pele herself, the legend describes her attire—a striking red muumuu—and her constant companion, the little white dog trailing faithfully behind. It is whispered among the locals that encountering Madame Pele demands a friendly disposition, as an unfriendly encounter may incur swift and dire consequences, with death lurking in the shadows. Thus, the myth of Madame Pele continues to weave through the cultural fabric of Hawaii, where the volcano's tales are both captivating and cautionary.

Personal note: As absurd as this story sounds, a skeptical reporter is said to have seen Pele and the volcano erupted two days later. Also, volcanologists, studying the volcano, admitted to seeing her shortly before eruptions! The scientists confessed that they could not scientifically explain this phenomenon but did agree that if you see her you’d better high-tail it out of there!

Address:
Mauna Loa, Hawaii

The Haunting of Ford Island

Ford Island –Honolulu County, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Photograph ©Travlr

Ford Island sits snugly in the center of Pearl Harbor. Many men died here during the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Would it be any wonder that this little island is reported to be haunted?

Residents have made reports of disembodied voices and footsteps in empty rooms of their homes. Some have reported finding objects in their homes unexplainably moved or stacked up.

Other paranormal phenomenon includes lights and appliances that turn on in the middle of the night for no apparent reason, a glowing misty apparition that floats through homes and shadowy figures walking around the trees and buildings on the north side of the island; these figures look like people but then disappear into thin air.

Some who have visited the airstrip claim to have feelings of urgency, as if some unseen emergency were going on around them; others have added to this description by saying they heard the sounds of men running past them in boots but they didn’t actually see them.

Many have claimed to hear the sounds of men moaning in pain. And at one building in particular, reports have been made of locked doors opening and closing on their own, accompanied by unexplained drafts of cold air.

Many apparitions have been spotted on this island, most are dressed in uniform, and they seem to roam, without destination, around the island.

The Hilton Head Blue Lady - Paranormal Activity On Hilton Head Island

The spirit of the Hilton Head Blue Lady roams the Island in a Victorian era blue dress -- a recurring example of paranormal activity on the Island. In 1898, a young woman named Caroline lost her life to a hurricane off the east coast.

The Hilton Head Blue Lady
Keeps Watch Over Palmetto Dunes
Residents of Harbour Town and environs are no strangers to this story of paranormal activity and haunted places. It is one of the true scary stories associated with Hilton Head Island. In spite of all of the recent modernization, the island has an abundance of ghost stories.

Lovers' Lane
Just by the Leamington area in Palmetto Dunes, down a winding dirt road, there once stood a lighthouse and its accessory keeper's house. Both houses were abandoned by the United States Light Service when the light was automated.
It was a balmy summer evening. In search of a secluded spot for some private romance, a young couple pointed their car down the old access road, long deserted. What they encountered instead was paranormal activity in the person of the Blue Lady. As the couple embraced in their car the moon rose seductively over the Atlantic. The balmy night air and sound of the waves hitting beach had a mesmerizing effect.

Suddenly they saw it. A chill ran down their spine when a soft, bluish light caught their eye. Transfixed they watched it floating through the light keeper's house behind darkened windows. Suddenly the glowing figure appeared on the front porch of the old house and gazed at them with mournful eyes. The figure of a young woman was adorned in a beautiful Victorian dress. It was exactly like the dress that Caroline Fripp was said to have worn the night of her death in the hurricane of 1898.

All thought of romance now vanished and the couple quickly retreated from the scene leaving the haunted house in their rear view mirror. Next day they reported to their parents and not long after a small group of adults decided to check out the lighthouse for themselves. They didn't have to wait long before the Hilton Head Blue Lady materialized, just as the youngsters had reported.

Today the location at Palmetto Dunes has been transformed by a world famous golf course and the haunted house has been relocated to Harbour Town near CQ's Restaurant. The stories of these haunted places associated with the Hilton Head Blue Lady have several variations. There are reports of sobbing and some claim to have sensed her presence. But many believe the Blue Lady has been laid to rest and paranormal activity ceased since the haunted house was moved.

by Dennis Woods