Over centuries explorers as well as ethnologists noting the myths, legends, customs and folklore of the cultures native to the Pacific Ocean islands, have accumulated enough evidence to attest to contact between the ancient Greek world and the Polynesians. Comparing the traditions of Homer, Hesiod and Pindar to the Polynesian lore points to the theoretical possibility that the mythical Elysian Fields – the final resting place of the souls of the heroic warriors and the virtuous in Greek mythology and religion - are located in the islands of Polynesia. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"109305","attributes":{"alt":"Portrait of Omai, a South Sea Islander who travelled to England with the second expedition of Captain Cook, by Joshua Reynolds (1775) (Public Domain)","class":"media-image","height":"699","style":"width: 428px; height: 699px;","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"428"}}]] Portrait of Omai, a
