More Australian Legendary Tales

by K. Langloh Parker

MORE AUSTRALIAN

Legendary Tales

COLLECTED FROM VARIOUS TRIBES BY

Mrs. K. LANGLOH PARKER

AUTHOR OF
Australian Legendary Tales

WITH INTRODUCTION BY

ANDREW LANG, M.A.

WITH ILLUSTRATION'S BY A NATIVE ARTIST

LONDON
DAVID NUTT, 270-271, STRAND
MELBOURNE
MELVILLE, MULLEN & SLADE
1898

"And he told me in a vision of the night:

There are nine and sixty ways of constructing tribal lays.

And every one of them is right!'"

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

DEDICATED

TO

THE EUAHLAYI-SPEAKING PEOPLE

IN GRATEFUL RECOGNITION OF THEIR

EVER-WILLING ASSISTANCE IN

MY FOLK-LORE QUEST

Contents

	page
Preface	ix
Introduction, BY ANDREW LANG, M.A.	xvii
The Crane and the Crow	1
Beereeun the Mirage Maker	3
Bohrah the Kangaroo and Dinewan the Emu	13
Gheeger Gheeger, the Cold West Wind	15
Bilber and Mayrah	19
Brälgah the Dancing Bird	21
How the Sun was Made	28
Sturt's Desert Pea, the Blood Flower	31
Piggiebillah the Porcupine	39
Gayardaree the Platypus	41
How Mungghee, or Mussels, were brought to the Creeks	45
Wurrunnah's Trip to the Sea	49
Walloobahl the Bark Lizard	55
Goolayyahlee the Pelican	57
Mungoongarlee the Iguana and Ouyouboolooey the Black Snake	61
Wayambeh the Turtle and Woggoon the Turkey	68
Where the Frost Comes From	73
Eubburr the Giant Brown and Yellow Snake	76
The Youayah Mayamah, or Stone Frogs	79
A Legend of the Flowers	84
The Frog Heralds of the Flood	90
Eerin, the Small Grey Owl	93
The Legend of Nar-oong-owie, the Sacred Island	99
Glossary	101