Kaupe


Kaupe is a malevolent spirit from Hawaii that calls out to people at night to lure them to their deaths. According to legend, he used to rule Nu'uanu Valley.

Myths

During his reign, he ate people on Oahu, then Maui. When he went to the island of Hawaii, he kidnapped the son of a High chief and took him back to Oahu so he could be sacrificed. Following them to Oahu, the High chief went to a Kahuna who taught him incantations and a prayer which he could use against Kaupe. At the heiau at Lihue, the father rescues his son. When Kaupe chases them, the father says the prayer, causing him and his son to run faster. As Kaupe catches up, the father said the prayer again and he and his son find a big rock to hide behind. On Hawaii, the father and son kill Kaupe. The spirit of Kaupe lingers on Oahu.
Kaupe appears like an enormous man with a canine head and sharp claws. 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 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. When his victim runs to the scene to help, they find a chilly clearing and dead silence. Kaupe shows himself to the victim, silently slipping from the shadows.

Popular culture

In Legends of Tomorrow, the Kaupe is a hairy beast. One named Konane is one of the magical fugitives that escaped from Mallus' realm where anyone who gets slashed by a Kaupe will become a Kaupe. He develops a relationship with a Time Bureau delivery girl named Mona Wu. During a struggle with the Time Bureau operatives, Mona got slashed in the stomach. When Konane is killed by a Time Bureau operative, Mona transforms into her Kaupe form for the first time and avenges Konane's death. The Legends of Tomorrow took her onto their team.