The Fertility Mother
Namarrkun, the lightning man
Ngalyod, the Rainbow Serpent
Djuwe, the great bowerbird
Garrkanj, the brown falcon
The frilled lizard
Gina, the giant crocodile
Garndagitj, the antelope kangaroo
The echidna and the long-necked turtle
The boab tree

The Fertility Mother

Life started when a creator woman called Warramurrungundjui came out of the sea and gave birth to the first people and gave them the languages. She carried with her a digging stick and a dilly bag holding yams, waterlilies and other important plants. She planted the food and created waterholes with her digging stick on the ground. Other creator beings appeared...After completing her creative act, Warramurrungundj turned herself into a rock.*

Namarrkun, the lightning man

Namarrkun is the lightning man who came out of the sky and made thunders by striking the clouds with his stone axes which were attached to his elbows and knees. When men and women disobeyed the law, he would hiss and crackle or even strike the wrongdoers with his fiery spears.* It reminds peole of the consequences of invoking the spiritual power.

Ngalyod, the Rainbow Serpent

Courtesy of Steve Albers

Ngalyod, also known as Almudj, the Rainbow Serpent was a major creator being. It forced passages through rocks and created more waterholes. It is still a great creator. It brings forth the wet season, causing all forms of life to multiply. It appears in the sky in the form of a rainbow. But it is also one of the most feared. Anyone who has broken any law can be drowned in floods. The Gagudju believed the Rainbow Serpent still lives in the pool under the waterfall...*

Djuwe, the great bowerbird

It was Djuwe, the great bowerbird who showed people how to build spcial shelters for the initiation ceremonies and how to perform dances. It is believed Djuwe's spirit still resides in the bowerbird.*

Garrkanj, the brown falcon>

Garrkanj, the brown falcon taught the people how to catch and prepare fish. Garrkanj, the ancestral spirit didn't die. It is still living on as a painting on a rock outcrop.*

The frilled lizard

Gundamen, the frilled lizard was originally a man who was smooth and sleek. During an important ceremony, his mind wandered off. He sang the wrong song and did the wrong rituals. The elders punished him by turning him into a ugly, rough-scaled and loose-skinned lizard. It is a warning to people who refuse to submit to tribal discipline.*

Gina, the giant crocodile

Saltwater crocodile Courtesy of Beyond the Blue, NT, Australia

In the beginning of creation, Gina was also a man. One day, he was sleeping near a billabong. Accidentally, his back caught fire. He dashed into the water and there he turned himself into a crocodile. That is how crocodiles get their lumpy backs.
Gina, the giant crocodile also helped to form the landscape. He carved his way through the rocks to get to the East Alligtor River. After finishing his cretive act, he did not leave and disappear. He turned himself into a rocky ridge which still shows his lumpy back.*

Garndagitj, the antelope kangaroo

Garbdagitj, the antelope kangaroo was another ascentral animal who helped to form the landscape. He hollowed out depressions as he moved around the land.*

The echidna and the long-necked turtle

Long-necked turtle rock art, Ubirr Courtesy of Martin Nielsen

At the time of creation, men and women could change into animals. That was also the time how animals came to be and took their present shape and appearance.
In the beginning ,Gowarrang, the echidna , was a woman. Al-mangeyi, the long-necked turtle, a man. They went hunting together. On the way, they saw a snail. No sooner, they were quarrelling who got to eat the delicacy. It then turned into a fight. In a rage, the man threw the spears over the woman and they remained on her back ever since. She retaliated, picked a flat stone and threw it at the man. It stuck to his back.*

The boab tree

Boab tree Courtesy of Travel Assistant, Australia

The boab was once a tall, beautiful and proud tree in the plant world. It boasted about its graceful shape among other spindly trees in the arid terrain. "How superior I am" it seemed to say. This upset others in the plant kingdom and the God was not happy. He bewitched the seeds of the boab and the seedlings grew upside down. From then onwards, the boab underwent a curious change. The bark developed folds. Instead of tall and slim, it became grotesque, short and fat. However, the boab was not deprived of all good features. The flowers and leaves in the wet season provide shelter for men and animals. The roots provide water for the travellers and the seed pods is an edible food for the Aborigines.

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