Miru is a goddess in the Polynesian mythology of the Cook Islands who lives in Avaiki beneath Mangaia. She is known to feast on the souls of dead people. One way she eats the souls is by putting them into a bowl of live centipedes, causing them to writhe in agony. Miru then encourages them to seek relief by diving into a lake, where they drown. They then can be cooked and eaten at her leisure.[1]
This goddess is also mentioned within a poem by Alistair Te Ariki Campbell, written during his travels to the Cook Islands. Although briefly, his mentions of Miru tell of the belief that upon entering Savaiki (the original homeland of the Polynesian people), the souls of the dead could be trapped by Miru and her assistants, "stupefying" the souls on Kava (a drink that causes similar symptoms to being drunk) and hanging them on trees to be devoured. [2]
The Tapairu are her daughters, and Tau-Titi is her daughter.[3]
Miru also appears in Maori mythology (New Zealand) as the Goddess of Death.