rikoriko

A Māori word for those malevolent spirits who haunt deserted houses and villages. They would creep into the bodies of unwary mortals and devour them. Cp. riorio.

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References

Sources

  • Tregear, Edward. (1891). Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary. Wellington: Government Printer, p. 415.
  • Wohlers, J. F. H. (1876). "Mythology and Tradition of the Maori." New Zealand Institute, Transactions 8:108-123, p. 112.