In Hawaiian mythology, Halemaʻumaʻu is the volcanic crater associated with Pele.
Halemaʻumaʻu is a pit crater within the much larger summit caldera of Kīlauea on Hawaiʻi Island. Hawaiian religious tradition identifies it as the home of Pele, the powerful goddess of fire, lightning, wind, and volcanoes. Its name means “house of the ʻāmaʻu fern,” referring to a fern found in Hawaiʻi.
Halemaʻumaʻu is a geological feature, while Kīlauea is the larger volcano that contains it. That distinction matters: Kīlauea is a valid association with Pele, but it is not the specific crater named in the question. Pūʻu ʻŌʻō is a volcanic cone and long-lived eruptive vent in Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone; Mokuʻāweoweo is the summit caldera of Mauna Loa.
The crater has repeatedly hosted lava lakes and eruptions. Its history includes major explosive activity in 1924, a visible lava lake from 2008 to 2018, and dramatic summit collapse during Kīlauea’s 2018 eruption. These events reinforced its enduring cultural and scientific importance.