The Legend of Mata Nui

In a time before time, Mata Nui was small peaceful island with a variety of climates. To the north, lies Po-Koro, a rocky little village. The buildings are dome shaped, much like the buildings of the other villages. The leader of the village, or Turaga, is Onewa, the protector of Pohatu's legend. To the south of Po-Koro lies a village called Onu-Koro. The village consists of huge caves dug underground. The people of Onu-Koro are sensitive to daylight. Its Turaga is Whenua, the protector of Onua's legend. Due east of that lies the pretty little village of Ga-Koro, a water village. The village's dome-like huts are built on giant lily pads. Its Turaga, Nokama, is the protector of Gali's legend.
South of that and underground is the village of Ta-Koro, which lies in a giant river of lava. Vakama is the Turaga, and he is the protector of Tahu's legend. The village looks like a collection of small volcanoes. West of that is Ko-koro, the village of ice. The Turaga of Ko-Koro is Nuju. She protects Kopaka's legend. Last but not least, on the very south tip of Mata Nui is the village of Le-Koro. Le-koro is in a giant rainforest, and its Turaga, Matau, protects Lewa's legend. The dome-shaped huts of Le-Koro sit high in the trees, away from the dangerous forest below. The Great Beings created Mata Nui as their son. Mata Nui grew and his parents gave him an island, which the inhabitants named after him. But, Mata Nui's brother, Makuta, followed him from paradise and became jealous and sent a dark shadow over Mata Nui. Using infected masks, he would brainwash the creatures of the island to become Rahi. The Rahi were to destroy Mata Nui. But the Great Beings created six heroes, the Toa.

Introduction to the Toa

Bionicle is a mixture between the words: Biology and Chronicle. The inhabitants of Mata Nui are not human, or even resemble human, with the exception that they have two arms, two legs and a head. In fact, and this includes the Tohunga, they are almost mechanical, but still organic. Everything living creature on the island of Mata Nui is made of a substance called Protodermis. Refer to the link at the bottom of the page for more information.

• Pohatu, Toa of Stone- Pohatu is a stone spirit. He is immensely strong and can literally move mountains. Pohatu can cause massive rocks to explode like bombs, or roll with great precision towards any attacker. His huge feet contain great power, destroying even the toughest rocks with a single kick.
  Pohatu is liked by all the Toa for his kind nature and for his rock-solid dependability. He's slow, but friendly and dependable. He's not good at snap decisions, but when he makes a decision to do something, he sticks with it until the end. Whenever there is trouble, Pohatu will always be there behind you, an immovable force that few enemies can dislodge. His only fear is water: he cannot swim, and he sinkslike a stone.
  Pohatu inhabits the foothills of Mount Ihu, moving slowly but sure-footedly among the rocks and boulders at the base of the great mountain.

• Onua, Toa of Earth- Onua is an Earth spirit, and was created by the Great Beings when the continents of the planet were forming from the fiery molten lava.
  Onua is at home below ground: with his huge hands, he scrapes out tunnels in the rocky cliffs over Papu Niho Reef. His low, squat body and head allow him to move quickly in tunnels and his infrared eyes give him amazing night vision.
  In normal daylight his eyesight is poor, although he compensates with amazingly powerful hearing. He is slower on open land than underground, but has incredible strength and surprising dexterity.
  Onua is at one with the land. He can hear trouble coming from miles away, and on occasion can even persuade the landscape to do his bidding - very useful when under attack.

• Gali, Toa of Water- Gali is the spirit of the water, and the only female Toa. She is young but incredibly wise - wiser, possibly, than all the other five Toa put together.
  The Tohunga worship her more than any of the others. They believe she is the sustainer of life - but if she gets angry, she will flood the island.
  Gali is the most agile and gymnastic of the six Toa. She has incredible jumping abilities and her own brand of acrobatic self-defense. The only things that slow her down are excessively hot and dry conditions.
  Gali is at home both in and near the waters of Lake Naho. Here she can swim and move quickly around the waterfalls that plunge down into the icy water, using her two hooked arms to grab onto rocks and cliffs. She works in harmony with the waters, which help to protect her in times of danger.

• Kopaka, Toa of Ice- Kopaka is the spirit of ice. He is cool, calculating, and coldly methodical in his actions. His long ice blade cuts and melts through the ice; one skillful swipe of it can cause avalanches or instantly freeze anything it touches.
  Kopaka prefers to work alone. He is the least communicative of the Toa, and will only join forces with the others if it's necessary for his own survival. The Tohunga both fear and respect Kopaka a great deal. They believe that he brings the winters, and the long cold nights...but they also know that his power strikes a balance against the presence of the fire spirit Tahu.
  Kopaka is most at home on the ice and snow of Mount Ihu, skiing up and down the slopes with amazing speed and skill.

• Tahu, Toa of Fire- Tahu is the oldest of the Toa, the fire spirit created by The Great Beings when the planet was first forming. He is the fiercest of the six Toa, and the most feared - you don't want to get into a fight with Tahu if you can help it.
  Tahu is most at home in the hot molten world of the Mangai Volcano where he surfs on lava flows, using his sword of flames to cut through rocks and keep the lava moving down towards the ocean.
  He is hotheaded and irrational, with a flaming temper. He has the least patience of all of the Toa, and often jumps into a situation without thinking, which often gets him and the other Toa into trouble.

• Lewa, Toa of Air- Lewa is the spirit of the air, the youngest of the six Toa. The Tohunga believe Lewa controls the skies - the clouds and the wind. Lewa is almost monkey-like, and prefers to inhabit the treetops of the Jungles around Kauae Bay.
  Lewa's axe cuts easily through trees and vines as he climbs and jumps through his jungle. He's supremely competent with aerial activities, and can even glide through the air when jumping from tree to tree.
  Lewa is always ready to jump to conclusions - and he's the first to get into trouble. But his instincts are good, and his hunches often turn out to be right. If there's a fight, he's always the first one in, protecting others before himself.

Introduction to Kanohi

Further Research