where is volcano erupting in hawaii on map
Kīlauea
The summits of the five volcanoes of Hawaii are revered as sacred mountains . Hawaiians associated elements of their natural environment with particular deities . In Hawaiian mythology , the sky father Wākea marries the earth mother Papa , giving birth to the Hawaiian Islands . Kīlauea itself means `` spewing '' or `` much spreading '' in Hawaiian , referencing its high state of activity , and in Hawaiian mythology Kīlauea is the body of the deity Pele , goddess of fire , lightning , wind , and volcanoes . It is here that the conflict between Pele and the rain god Kamapua ʻa was centered ; Halema ʻumaʻu , `` House of the ʻamaʻumaʻu fern '' , derives its name from the struggle between the two gods . Kamapua ʻa , hard - pressed by Pele 's ability to make lava spout from the ground at will , covered the feature , a favorite residence of the goddess , with fern fronds . Choked by trapped smoke , Pele emerged . Realizing that each could threaten the other with destruction , the other gods called a draw and divided the island between them , with Kamapua ʻa getting the moist windward northeastern side , and Pele directing the drier Kona ( or leeward ) side . The rusty singed appearance of the young fronds of the ʻamaʻumaʻu is said to be a product of the legendary struggle .
The summits of the five volcanoes of Hawaii are revered as sacred mountains . Hawaiians associated elements of their natural environment with particular deities . In Hawaiian mythology , the sky father Wākea marries the earth mother Papa , giving birth to the Hawaiian Islands . Kīlauea itself means `` spewing '' or `` much spreading '' in Hawaiian , referencing its high state of activity , and in Hawaiian mythology Kīlauea is the body of the deity Pele , goddess of fire , lightning , wind , and volcanoes . It is here that the conflict between Pele and the rain god Kamapua ʻa was centered ; Halema ʻumaʻu , `` House of the ʻamaʻumaʻu fern '' , derives its name from the struggle between the two gods . Kamapua ʻa , hard - pressed by Pele 's ability to make lava spout from the ground at will , covered the feature , a favorite residence of the goddess , with fern fronds . Choked by trapped smoke , Pele emerged . Realizing that each could threaten the other with destruction , the other gods called a draw and divided the island between them , with Kamapua ʻa getting the moist windward northeastern side , and Pele directing the drier Kona ( or leeward ) side . The rusty singed appearance of the young fronds of the ʻamaʻumaʻu is said to be a product of the legendary struggle .