Mullyangah The Morning Star
: Australian Legendary TalesMullyan, the eagle hawk, built himself a home high in a yaraan tree.
There he lived apart from his tribe, with Moodai the opossum, his wife,
and Moodai the opossum, his mother-in-law. With them too was Buttergah,
a daughter of the Buggoo or flying squirrel tribe. Buttergah was a
friend of Moodai, the wife of Mullyan, and a distant cousin to the
Moodai tribe.
Mullyan the eagle hawk was a cannibal. That was
living apart from the other blacks. In order to satisfy his cannibal
cravings, he used to sally forth with a big spear, a spear about four
times as big as an ordinary spear. If he found a black fellow hunting
alone, he would kill him and take his body up to the house in the tree.
There the Moodai and Buttergab would cook it, and all of them would eat
the flesh; for the women as well as Mullyan were cannibals. This went
on for some time, until at last so many black fellows were slain that
their friends determined to find out what became of them, and they
tracked the last one they missed. They tracked him to where he had
evidently been slain; they took up the tracks of his slayer, and
followed them right to the foot of the yaraan tree, in which was built
the home of Mullyan. They tried to climb the tree, but it was high and
straight, and they gave up the attempt after many efforts. In their
despair at their failure they thought of the Bibbees, a tribe noted for
its climbing powers. They summoned two young Bibbees to their aid. One
came, bringing with him his friend Murrawondah of the climbing rat
tribe.
Having heard what the blacks wanted them to do, these famous climbers
went to the yaraan tree and made a start at once. There was only light
enough that first night for them to see to reach a fork in the tree
about half-way up. There they camped, watched Mullyan away in the
morning, and then climbed on. At last they reached the home of Mullyan.
They watched their chance and then sneaked into his humpy.
When they were safely inside, they hastened to secrete a smouldering
stick in one end of the humpy, taking care they were not seen by any of
the women. Then they went quietly down again, no one the wiser of their
coming or going. During the day the women heard sometimes a crackling
noise, as of burning, but looking round they saw nothing, and as their
own fire was safe, they took no notice, thinking it might have been
caused by some grass having fallen into their fire.
After their descent from having hidden the smouldering fire stick,
Bibbee and Murrawondah found the blacks and told them what they had
done. Hearing that the plan was to burn out Mullyan, and fearing that
the tree might fall, they all moved to some little distance, there to
watch and wait for the end. Great was their joy at the thought that at
last their enemy was circumvented. And proud were Bibbee and
Murrawondah as the black fellows praised their prowess.
After dinner-time Mullyan came back. When he reached the entrance to
his house he put down his big spear outside. Then he went in and threw
himself down to rest, for long had he walked and little had he gained.
In a few minutes he heard his big spear fall down. He jumped up and
stuck it in its place again. He had no sooner thrown himself down, than
again he heard it fall. Once more be rose and replaced it. As he
reached his resting-place again, out burst a flame of fire from the end
of his humpy. He called out to the three women, who were cooking, and
they rushed to help him extinguish the flames. But in spite of their
efforts the fire only blazed the brighter. Mullyan's arm was burnt off.
The Moodai had their feet burnt, and Buttergah was badly burnt too.
Seeing they were helpless against the fire, they turned to leave the
humpy to its fate, and make good their own escape. But they had left it
too late. As they turned to descend the tree, the roof of the humpy
fell on them. And all that remained when the fire ceased, were the
charred bones of the dwellers in the yaraan tree. That was all that the
blacks found of their enemies; but their legend says that Mullyan the
eagle hawk lives in the sky as Mullyangah the morning star, on one side
of which is a little star, which is his one arm; on the other a larger
star, which is Moodai the opossum, his wife.
More
-
Bahloo The Moon And The Daens
Bahloo the moon looked down at the earth one night, when his light was shining quite brightly, to see if any one was moving. When the earth people were all asleep was the time he chose for playing with his three dogs. He called them dogs, but th... Bootoolgah The Crane And Goonur The Kangaroo Rat The Fire Makers
In the days when Bootoolgah, the crane, married Goonur, the kangaroo rat, there was no fire in their country. They had to eat their food raw or just dry it in the sun. One day when Bootoolgah was rubbing two pieces of wood together, he saw a fai... Bougoodoogahdah The Rain Bird
Bougoodoogahdah was all old woman who lived alone with her four hundred dingoes. From living so long with these dogs she had grown not to care for her fellow creatures except as food. She and the dogs lived on human flesh, and it was her cunning... Bunnyyarl The Flies And Wurrunnunnah The Bees
The Bunnyyarl and Wurrunnunnah were relations, and lived in one camp. The Wurrunnunnah were very hardworking, always trying to gather food in a time of plenty, to lay in a store for a time of famine. The Bunnyyarl used to give no heed to the fut... Deegeenboyah The Soldier-bird
Deegeenboyah was an old man, and getting past hunting much for himself; and he found it hard to keep his two wives and his two daughters supplied with food. He camped with his family away from the other tribes, but he used to join the men of the... Deereeree The Wagtail And The Rainbow
Deereeree was a widow and lived in a camp alone with her four little girls. One day Bibbee came and made a camp not far from hers. Deereeree was frightened of him, too frightened to go to sleep. All night she used to watch his camp, and if she h... Dinewan The Emu And Wahn The Crows
Dinewan and his two wives, the Wahn, were camping out. Seeing some clouds gathering, they made a bark humpy. It came on to rain, and they all took shelter under it. Dinewan, when his wives were not looking, gave a kick against a piece of bark at... Goolahwilleel The Topknot Pigeons
Young Goolahwilleeel used to go out hunting every day. His mother and sisters always expected that he would bring home kangaroo and emu for them. But each day he came home without any meat at all. They asked him what he did in the bush, as he ev... Gooloo The Magpie And The Wahroogah
Gooloo was a very old woman, and a very wicked old woman too, as this story will tell. During all the past season, when the grass was thick with seed, she had gathered much doonburr, which she crushed into meal as she wanted it for food. She use... Goomblegubbon Beeargah And Ouyan
Goomblegubbon the bustard, his two wives, Beeargah the hawk, and Ouyan the curlew, with the two children of Beeargah, had their camps right away in the bush; their only water supply was a small dungle, or gilguy hole. The wives and children camp... Goonur The Woman-doctor
Goonur was a clever old woman-doctor, who lived with her son, Goonur, and his two wives. The wives were Guddah the red lizard, and Beereeun the small, prickly lizard. One day the two wives had done something to anger Goonur, their husband, and h... Hunting Custom
Formerly when the men went to a hunt the mistress of the house would not bathe all the time they were away and when the hunters returned she met them at the front door and washed their feet and welcomed them home. The wife of the dehri used to put a... Mayrah The Wind That Blows The Winter Away
At the beginning of winter, the iguanas hide themselves in their homes in the sand; the black eagle hawks go into their nests; the garbarlee or shingle-backs hide themselves in little logs, just big enough to hold them; the iguanas dig a long wa... Meamei The Seven Sisters
Wurrunnah had had a long day's hunting, and he came back to the camp tired and hungry. He asked his old mother for durrie, but she said there was none left. Then he asked some of the other blacks to give him some doonburr seeds that he might mak... Mooregoo The Mopoke And Bahloo The Moon
Mooregoo the Mopoke had been camped away by himself for a long time. While alone he had made a great number of boomerangs, nullah-nullahs, spears, neilahmans, and opossum rugs. Well had he carved the weapons with the teeth of opossums, and brigh... Mooregoo The Mopoke And Mooninguggahgul The Mosquito Bird
An old man lived with his two wives, the Mooninguggahgul sisters, and his two sons. The old man spent all his time making boomerangs, until at last he had four nets full of these weapons. The two boys used to go out hunting opossums and iguanas,... Mullyangah The Morning Star
Mullyan, the eagle hawk, built himself a home high in a yaraan tree. There he lived apart from his tribe, with Moodai the opossum, his wife, and Moodai the opossum, his mother-in-law. With them too was Buttergah, a daughter of the Buggoo or flyi... Narahdarn The Bat
Narahdarn, the bat, wanted honey. He watched until he saw a Wurranunnah, or bee, alight. He caught it, stuck a white feather between its hind legs, let it go and followed it. He knew he could see the white feather, and so follow the bee to its n... Oongnairwah And Guinarey
Oongnairwah, the diver, and Guinarey, the eagle hawk, told all the pelicans, black swans, cranes, and many others, that they would take their net to the creek and catch fish, if some of them would go and beat the fish down towards the net. Gl... Ouyan The Curlew
Bleargah the hawk, mother of Ouyan the curlew, said one day to her son: "Go, Ouyan, out, take your spears and kill an emu. The women and I are hungry. You are a man, go out and kill, that we may eat. You must not stay always in the camp like an ... The Borah Of Byamee
Word had been passed from tribe to tribe, telling, how that the season was good, there must be a great gathering of the tribes. And the place fixed for the gathering was Googoorewon. The old men whispered that it should be the occasion for a bor... The Bunbundoolooeys
The mother Bunbundoolooey put her child, a little boy Bunbundoolooey, who could only just crawl, into her goolay. Goolay is a sort of small netted hammock, slung by black women on their backs, in which they carry their babies and goods in genera... The Cookooburrahs And The Goolahgool
Googarh, the iguana, was married to Moodai, the opossum and Cookooburrah, the laughing jackass. Cookooburrah was the mother of three sons, one grown up and living away from her, the other two only little boys. They had their camps near a goolahg... The Galah And Oolah The Lizard
Oolah the lizard was tired of lying in the sun, doing nothing. So he said, "I will go and play." He took his boomerangs out, and began to practise throwing them. While he was doing so a Galah came up, and stood near, watching the boomerangs come... The Gwineeboos The Redbreasts
Gwineeboo and Goomai, the water rat, were down at the creek one day, getting mussels for food, when, to their astonishment, a kangaroo hopped right into the water beside them. Well they knew that he must be escaping from hunters, who were probab... The Mayamah
The blacks had all left their camp and gone away to attend a borah. Nothing was left in the camp but one very old dog, too old to travel. After the blacks had been gone about three days, one night came their enemies, the Gooeeays, intending to s... The Origin Of The Narran Lake
Old Byamee said to his two young wives, Birrahgnooloo and Cunnunbeillee, "I have stuck a white feather between the hind legs of a bee, and am going to let it go and then follow it to its nest, that I may get honey. While I go for the honey, go y... The Weeoonibeens And The Piggiebillah
Two Weeoombeen brothers went out hunting. One brother was much younger than the other and smaller, so when they sighted an emu, the elder one said to the younger: "You stay quietly here and do not make a noise, or Piggiebillah, whose camp we pas... Wayarnbeh The Turtle
Oolah, the lizard, was out getting yams on a Mirrieh flat. She had three of her children with her. Suddenly she thought she heard some one moving behind the big Mirrieh bushes. She listened. All of a sudden out jumped Wayambeh from behind a bush... Weedah The Mocking Bird
Weedah was playing a great trick on the black fellows who lived near him. He had built himself a number of grass nyunnoos, more than twenty. He made fires before each, to make it look as if some one lived in the nyunnoos. First he would go into ... Wirreenun The Rainmaker
The country was stricken with a drought. The rivers were all dry except the deepest holes in them. The grass was dead, and even the trees were dying. The bark dardurr of the blacks were all fallen to the ground and lay there rotting, so long was... A Battle In The Air
In the country about Tishomingo, Indian Territory, troubles are foretold by a battle of unseen men in the air. Whenever the sound of conflict is heard it is an indication that many dead will lie in the fields, for it heralds battle, starvation, or p... A Battle With The Sioux
Less than sixty years ago, the vast tracts of land which are now large cities and cultivated farms were prairie and forest. Numerous tribes of Indians camped on these prairies in summer-time, and when the cold winter came, they sought the shelter o... A Blow In The Dark
The Tory Manheim sits brooding in his farmhouse near Valley Forge, and his daughter, with a hectic flush on her cheek, looks out into the twilight at the falling snow. She is worn and ill; she has brought on a fever by exposure incurred that very da... A Boy Taken To Fairy Land
Mrs. Morris, of Cwm Vicarage, near Rhyl, told the writer the following story. She stated that she had heard it related in her family that one of their people had in childhood been induced by the Fairies to follow them to their country. This boy ... A Breathing Space
The captive was not taken back to prison-chamber which she had occupied during the preceding night, but to an apartment in the palace--one belonging to the suite appropriated to Pollux. She was confined within a room so luxurious, that, save from t... A Bryneglwys Man Inveigled By The Fairies
Two waggoners were sent from Bryneglwys for coals to the works over the hill beyond Minera. On their way they came upon a company of Fairies dancing with all their might. The men stopped to witness their movements, and the Fairies invited them t... A Charm For Stopping Bleeding
Mrs. Reynolds, whom I have already mentioned in connection with a charm for toothache, gave me the following charm. It bears date April 5, 1842:-- Our Blessed Saviour Jesus Christ was born at Bethlehem, By the Virgin Mary, Baptize... A Charm For The Shingles
This custom (charming for the shingles) was more prevalent in this parish than in any other in Montgomeryshire. A certain amount of penance was to be done by the sufferer, who was to go to the charmer in the morning fasting, and he was also to be... A Chestnut Log
There is no doubt that farmer Lovel had read ancient history or he would not have been so ready in the emergency that befell him one time in the last century. He had settled among the New Hampshire hills near the site that is now occupied by the vil... A Child Of The Woods
Deep in the forest of the North there is a large village of jungle people, and, among them is one old woman, who is held in reverence by all. The stranger who asks why she is honored as a princess is thus answered by her: "Verily, I have much boo... A Clever Thief
Once a man went into the field of a gardener and stole a melon. Before he had had time to eat it the gardener discovered him, took the melon and tied it to the neck of the thief, and led him to the home of the head man of the village. As they wal... A Cock Crowing In The Night
This, too, was thought to foretell a death, but whose death, depended on the direction of the bird's head whilst crowing. As soon as the crowing was heard someone went to ascertain the position of the cock's head, and when it was seen that his he... A Conjuror And Robbers
A conjuror, or Gwr Cyfarwydd, was travelling over the Denbighshire hills to Carnarvonshire; being weary, he entered a house that he saw on his way, and he requested refreshments, which were given him by a young woman. But, said she, you must make... A Conjuror's Collusion Exposed
This man's house consisted of but few rooms. Between the kitchen and his study, or consulting room, was a slight partition. He had a servant girl, whom he admitted as a partner in his trade. This girl, when she saw a patient approach the house, w... A Covetous Neighbor
There was a poor and lonely man who had but a few melon seeds and grains of corn which he planted; tenderly did he care for them, as the garden would furnish his only means of a living. And it came to pass that the melons and corn grew luxuriantly, ... A Crisis
Lycidas, in the meantime, was chafing in wild impatience under the trial of Zarah's almost perpetual absence. He could no longer watch her, no longer listen to her, except when his straining ear caught the faint sound of her music floating down fro... A Crowing Hen
This bird, too, is supposed to indicate the death of an inmate of the house which is its home; or, if not the death, some sore disaster to one or other of the members of that family. The poor hen, though, as soon as it is heard crowing, certainly... A Cruel Man And A Fairy Dog
The person from whom the following tale was derived was David Roberts, Tycerrig, Clocaenog, near Ruthin. A Fairy dog lost its master and wandered about here and there seeking him. A farmer saw the dog, and took it home with him, but he behaved ... A Dinner And Its Consequences
The Nipmucks were populous at Thompson, Connecticut, where they skilfully tilled the fields, and where their earthworks, on Fort Hill, provided them with a refuge in case of invasion. Their chief, Quinatisset, had his lodge on the site of the Congre... A Doctor Called From His Bed By A Voice
Mr. Hugh Lloyd, Llanfihangel-Glyn-Myfyr, who received the story from Dr. Davies, the gentleman who figures in the tale, informed me of the following curious incidents:-- Doctor Davies, of Cerrig-y-drudion, had gone to bed and slept, but in the ... A Fairy Borrowing A Gridiron
The following Fairy legend was told to Mr. W. W. Cobb, of Hilton House, Atherstone, by Mrs. Williams, wife of Thomas Williams, pilot, in whose house he lodged when staying in Anglesey:--Mary Roberts, of Newborough, used to receive visits once a we...