Australian Legendary Tales

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

—

Title

Australian Legendary Tales

Language

en

Book source

Global Grey

Description max 80 words

K. Langloh Parker's *Australian Legendary Tales* collects over thirty folk-lore legends of the Noongahburrah tribe, recorded before their rapid decline. These stories explain the origins of animals, constellations, and natural phenomena through a blend of myth and reality. Written with deep respect for the elders who shared them, this volume offers a poignant glimpse into an archaic culture, blending *Kändermärchen* with *aëtological* myths to create a unique, realistic romance of savage life.

Summary up to 500 words

Published in 1896, *Australian Legendary Tales* presents a collection of narratives gathered by K. Langloh Parker from the Noongahburrah people of the Narran River in New South Wales. Parker, an amateur ethnographer, dedicated the work to preserving the legends of a race she believed was fast disappearing. The book serves as both a scientific record and a children's storybook, featuring tales that explain the habits of animals like the emu, kangaroo, and platypus, as well as the origins of stars and weather patterns. The introduction sets a somber yet hopeful tone, describing Australia as a continent of "antique, melancholy" landscapes where the native inhabitants lived in a state of archaic simplicity. Parker notes that while the tribes lacked cities or agriculture, they possessed complex customs, totemism, and a profound connection to nature. She emphasizes that these stories are not dead traditions but living expressions of the Aboriginal mind, comparable to the *Jungle Book* in their sympathy for beast-life. The tales themselves vary from humorous *aëtological* myths to tragic legends of vengeance and survival. In "Dinewan," the emu and the bustard engage in a conflict over a grinding stone, illustrating the cunning of the birds. "Narahdarn the Bat" tells a grim story of a bat who traps bees and kills his own wives to retrieve honey, only to be avenged by his tribe in a dramatic *corrobboree* (dance ceremony) where he is burned. "Mullyangah the Morning Star" explains the constellation of the eagle hawk and opossum through a tale of cannibalism and fire magic, where the eagle's enemies are burned alive in his tree home. Another significant figure is Wirreenun, the rainmaker. His legend details how he summoned rain to transform a dry plain into a lake, allowing the tribes to fish and eventually hold a *borah* (initiation ceremony). The text includes an appendix with the original native language versions of some tales, acknowledging the philological value of the collection. Parker's preface reveals her personal motivation: a desire to record the thoughts and beliefs of a people whose weapons were being bartered for tobacco and whisky, and whose language was fading. The book concludes with a glossary defining terms like *boomerang*, *corrobboree*, and various animal names, making it accessible to readers unfamiliar with Aboriginal vocabulary. Overall, the work stands as a vital historical document and a collection of timeless, if sometimes brutal, stories of the Australian bush.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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https://www.globalgreyebooks.com/ebooks/k-langloh-parker_australian-legendary-tales.epub

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data/epubs/url-202d9a084a78df75.epub

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Categories

• Folklore
• Mythology
• Australian Literature