Kaupe

Myths

During his reign, he ate a lot of people. First, he ate some people on Oahu. Then he went to the island of Maui and ate some people there. When he went to the island of Hawaii he kidnapped the son of a High chief and took him back to O`ahu so he could be sacrificed. The father of this boy went to a Kahuna, or priest after arriving on Oahu. The kahuna taught him incantations and a prayer which he could use if Kaupe was encountered. Then the father journeyed to the heiau at Lihue where his son was. He saved his son and they left.

Later, Kaupe picked up on their trail. The father again said the prayer, seeing that Kaupe was on their trail. Because of that, he and his son ran a lot faster. However, Kaupe was quickly catching up, so the father said the prayer again. At that moment, he and his son found a big rock to hide behind. This confused Kaupe for he thought the father and son fled to Hawaii. The father and son then studied how to destroy Kauhe and went back to Hawaii to go to war. They were victorious and killed Kaupe. However the spirit of Kaupe remains on O`ahu to this day.

It is said that Kaupe in physical form appears like an enormous man, except he has a canine head and sharp claws. Some people consider him a Hawaiian werewolf, though he is something else entirely. For hundreds of years Kaupe has frequented two spots on the island of Oahu. Though he is said to originally been from Nuuanu Valley, he is more often encountered under Kipapa Bridge.

Kaupe is often considered a "calling ghost" because, like similar ghosts of that category, he calls to his victims rather than searching them out or coincidentally running into them. His technique is to make a sound like numerous wounded or dying people. The victim would then run to the scene to help, only to find nothing but a chilly clearing and dead silence. From then Kaupe would show himself to the victim, silently slipping from the shadows.