The Polynesian myth of Rata is quoted as follows:
THE HORRIBLE CLAM
The boat was sailing along merrily over the ocean under a favorable wind, when one day Nganaoa called out: `O Rata! A fearful enemy is rising up from the sea!' It was a giant clam, wide open. One of its shells was in front of the boat, the other behind, and the vessel lay in between
The next moment the horrible clam would have snapped shut and ground the boat and all its occupants to pulp. But Nganaoa was prepared for this possibility
Seizing his long spear, he thrust it quickly into the creature's belly, so that instead of snapping shut it sank instantly to the bottom of the sea
After escaping from this danger they continued on their way. Yet soon the voice of the ever watchful Nganaoa was heard again: `O Rata! Another fearful enemy is rising up from the sea!
THE MIGHTY OCTOPUS
This time it was a mighty octopus, whose giant tentacles were already wrapped round the boat to destroy it. At this critical moment Nganaoa seized his spear and plunged it into the head of the octopus. The tentacles sank down limply, and the dead monster floated away on the surface of the ocean
THE GREAT WHALE
Once more they continued on their journey, but a still greater danger awaited them. One day the vigilant Nganaoa cried out: `O Rata! Here is a great whale!'
Its huge jaws were wide open, the lower jaw was already under the boat, the upper one was over it. Another moment and the whale would have swallowed them. Then Nganaoa, the `slayer of monsters,' broke his spear in two, and just as the whale was about to crush them he stuck the two pieces in his enemy's gullet, so that he could not close his jaws
Then Nganaoa leapt into the maw of the great whale (devouring of the hero) and peered down into his belly, and what did he see? There sat his two parents, his father Tairitokerau and his mother Vaiaroa, who had been swallowed by this monster of the deep when out fishing
The oracle had come true. The voyage had reached its goal. Great was the joy of the parents of Nganaoa when they beheld their son, for they were now persuaded that their liberation was at hand. And Nganaoa, too, was bent upon vengeance
Taking one of the two sticks from the animal's gulletthe other was enough to prevent the whale from closing his jaws and too keep the passage clear for Nganaoa and his parentshe broke it into two pieces for use as fire-sticks. He told his father to hold one piece firmly below, while he himself manipulated the upper one until the fire began to glimmer (fire-lighting). Then blowing it into a flame, he hastened to heat the fatty parts inside the belly (i.e., the heart) with the fire
The monster, writhing in pain, sought relief by swimming to land (sea journey). As soon as it reached the sandbank (landing), father, mother and son stepped ashore through the open gullet of the dying whale (slipping out of the hero) ( Frobenius, Zeitalter, pp. 64-66 )