MIRU

[Polynesian] The god of the dead who collects souls in his cave, Lua-o-Milu. His servants are large lizards who live on the flies in the underworld. Miru is also a demonic goddess who lives in Avaiki, in the nether world below the island of Mangaia in the Cook Islands. She devours the souls of men after stupefying them with kava (an intoxicating beverage brewed from the roots of kava plant). She possess cellars full of the stuff. Her large oven, where she cooks her victims, burns eternally. The Tapairu are her daughters. In Maori traditions, Miru is the Queen of the Spirit World, called the Spirit Queen. She has four beautiful daughters and her son is Tau-Titi.