People Shocked By The Origin Of Moana Character

Whether it's sinister statues in Hercules or the smutty puns in Shrek, there seems to be a dark story or joke that we missed the first time around in almost every single on of our favourite childhood films.

Well, it's happened again, with people coming to terms with the bizarre inspiration behind Dwayne Johnson's character in the beloved musical Moana.

The 2016 release was met by rave reviews, with millions of kids falling in love with the story.

But there seems to be a slightly darker truth behind the Rock's muscle-bound, rapping demi-god Maui.

Taken from Polynesian mythology, the character was actually based on a folkloric hero whose last great trick on Earth was to turn himself into a worm and crawl into the vagina of the goddess Hine-nui-te-pō.

Not quite what you were expecting? Well, let's continue.

Maui planned on 'plucking out her heart' and making mankind immortal, crawling out of the sleeping goddess's mouth when she fell asleep.

People have been surprised to learn the origin of the character Maui. Credit:

Unfortunately, things didn't quite go according to plan, with the goddess woken by the laughter of Maui's friend, and he was immediately crushed to death by her obsidian vagina teeth. Yep.

And if this is news to you, you're not alone.

Fans of the film have been sharing their thoughts on the revelation, which has left many positively shaken to their core.

Commenting on the news, one person asked: "Did anyone tell The Rock that 'as Maui' he ultimately dies from obsidian vagina teeth trying to steal immortality for mankind?"

Another quipped: "'obsidian vaginal teeth', now there's a phrase you don't hear everyday."

"Can't wait for Moana 2 then... " chimed in a third.

While another joked: "Rock versus obsidian, who wins? Who's next? You decide."

The story of Maui varies slightly from culture to culture, with the hero boasting superhuman strength and the ability to shapeshift.

Disney

According to the myth, Maui also 'fished up the North Island of Aotearoa (New Zealand), talked the Sun into slowing its movement across the sky and make the day longer for humans, and elicited the secret of fire from the goddess guarding it'. So he was a busy boy.

Most of us, however, will be more familiar with his singing skills in the Disney movie.

And Dwayne Johnson once surprised one of his biggest fans with a special personalised video of him singing one of the tunes from the film.

The actor posted the video on Instagram with the caption: "This request came across my desk and punched me in the gut a bit.

"There's a little 3-year-old boy out there named Hyrum. Diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia which is complicated by Down Syndrome. In the fight of his life right now and doing his best to stay strong - by watching MOANA up to 10xs a day because the character he loves, MAUI makes him feel strong.

"According to Hyrum's mama, his most important thing to say now is, I STRONG. Yes you are big man. Yes you are. Hyrum, I know I'm a complete stranger to you - who sounds a lot like your hero, MAUI (only with a very large head), but myself along with millions of other strangers who will watch this video are sending you so much love, strength and mana your way.

"I STRONG. Love, the Rock aka the dude who sounds a lot like Maui."

Topics: Animation, Entertainment, Shrek, Funny, Dwayne Johnson, Actor, US Entertainment, Weird

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

@SmithersDom