In Maori mythology, who is the goddess of death?

In Māori mythology, Hine-nui-te-pō is the goddess of death.

Her name means “Great Woman of Night,” and she is associated with the underworld, or Rarohenga. Māori traditions describe her as receiving and guiding the spirits of the dead. She was once Hine-tītama, the daughter of Tāne and Hine-ahu-one.

According to a well-known story, Hine-tītama discovered that Tāne—her husband—was also her father. Overcome by the betrayal, she descended to the underworld and became Hine-nui-te-pō. This is why Hine-tītama is not a separate competing answer in this context: it is her earlier name.

Hine-nui-te-pō is also central to the story of Māui’s failed attempt to win immortality. While she slept, Māui tried to pass through her body, but she awoke and crushed him with obsidian teeth. His death established mortality for humankind.