Australian+Mythology

=__Introduction: __  =  The Aborigines, who were the first people to inhabit Australia, created Australian mythology. They arrived in Australia over 75,000 years ago. To them though, these myths were created in a mythological period called the dreamtime. In this “dreamtime” anything was possible and all gods were real gods. Along with that, instead of referring to them as myths or legends they called these dreamtime stories. When the Australians tell these stories, they wouldn’t just tell them. They would //perform// them. Not all of their myths were allowed to be shared with the world either, some were restricted to certain people. These Australian myths are often influenced by the importance of the Aborigines, natural disasters, landscape, and creation. For our project we chose a “dreamtime story” called The Rainbow Serpent. This particular myth directly explains the creation of many things including how animals were created. By reading this you will learn more about the myth of the rainbow serpent, how it ties into all of Australian mythology, about the Australian culture, and how Australian mythology relates to Greek and Roman mythology. Image:  Uhlenhut, Klaus. "australia.jpeg". Birdwatching Australia. 2008. . 30 September, 2008.

=__Summary: __  =

The story of Rainbow Serpent starts out when the Spirit of the Rainbow turns into a serpent and comes down to earth and lands on Australia. He is so big, when he slithers across Australia to find his people (the ones that speak like he does) he creates rivers, mountains, and landforms found in Australia. When he finally finds his tribe he teaches them to put their hair up with beeswax, put feathers in their hair, bones in their noses, and how to dance as elegantly as he does. He lives with the tribe, teaching them many things, until one day two boys came home from hunting with rain poring down on them. They asked to go into someone else’s humpy which the people of the tribe had made when they noticed the rain was coming, but no one had room in their humpy, so Rainbow Serpent, being hungry, said they could come into his humpy. The rain blinded the boys, making them run right into the serpent's trap, which was his mouth. Knowing the tribe would find out it was he that ate the boys, he ran away and went to the top of the Bora-bunara Mountain. Being full from his meal, he was much slower then the tribe that followed his big tracks to eventually find him. No one could climb the mountain until the Tree Goanna brothers said they could do it. Lucky for them, the serpent was sleeping so when they reached him they cut him open and the two boys were freed but they had been turned into rainbow-colored birds. Later the serpent woke up and he noticed he had been cut open and the boys had escaped. He was so mad that he made thunder, lightning, and boulders fall on the people, who were so scared some turned themselves into animals to hide. The story of Rainbow Serpent is a great story that teaches you a lot about Australian culture and beliefs. Picture: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~psanday/Aboriginal/KandimalalAndTheRainbowSerpent_BoxerMilner.jpg  =<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">__Story Analysis:__   = <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> For our myth we did The Rainbow Serpent. At first, the story seemed like it was just a tale to tell for fun. As you read on though, you realize it actually explains natural events and the nature of humanity. Some of the natural events it explains are how animals were created, how people learned to work together, the mountains, hills, lakes, and valleys were created, and why we have shooting stars. This myth also explains nature of humanity, though not in an obvious way. Though it does show how humans get angry when things don’t always go their way, now they will use force to get what they want, how they are fearful and vulnerable, and our unwillingness to share. In my opinion the Australians were telling this legend to explain how things on and beyond the earth were created, as they do often in their myths. It’s even said that creation is one of their main topics.

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> =<span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">__<span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">Culture Analysis:  __  =

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">The myth Rainbow Serpent reflects a lot of Australian culture. This myth reflects the environment and beliefs of the culture of Australia. This myth shows the importance of tribes and that there where a lot of tribes in Australia. Also that a lot of tribes have different languages. Instead of Mount Olympus like the Greeks believed the gods came from and lived the Australians believed in dreamtime “I am rainbow serpent come out of dreamtime.” Rainbow Serpent was the spirit of the Rainbow come down to Earth in the form of a serpent. This myth also explains that Australians believed that their gods could take form of animals when they came down to earth. It shows why dances where done like animals like the snake because Rainbow Serpent showed his people how to dance more elegantly like him. It tells why people paste their hair with bees wax and and put feathers in their hair and bones in their noses for everyday life and rituals. It tells why they they painted themselves with white paint for ceremonies and for the normal day. They believe that many land forms where made by Rainbow Serpent like mountains and lakes and rivers. They also think that Rainbow Serpent made animals like when he was cut open and the two boys he ate turned to birds and when he was angry people were so scared that they turned themselves into animals like insects to hide under rocks. Also when there is a shooting star it is Rainbow Serpents eye watching over them from the heavens. Last it show that they believe (like us) humans and animals have to learn to live together to make the world a better place. The story of Rainbow serpent shows a lot about Australian culture. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=95160&rendTypeId=4 =<span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">  = <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">

=<span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> = =<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">__Culture Comparison:__  = <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">   <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">Australian, Greek, and Roman cultures have some things in common and some differences. Our Australian myth has some of the same archetypes as some of the Greek and Roman myths. For example, Rainbow Serpent fills the archetypes of a teacher and a transgressor. He was a teacher when he found his people and taught them things that helped the tribe to prosper. In Greek and Roman mythologies, many of the gods and goddesses were <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">teachers, including Athena (known as Minerva in Roman mythology) who taught mortals strategy and weaving. (Felson, Nancy. "Athena." 2008. [Place of access.] 29 Sept. 2008 <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar035400 <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">) This shows that all three of the cultures valued teaching and education. When Rainbow Serpent ate the two boys even though they were of his tribe; he filled the role of a transgressor. The tribe tracked down Rainbow Serpent because they were not happy with him for being a transgressor and eating two of their tribe. Another transgressor was Prometheus who gave fire to the mortals after Zeus (known as Jupiter in Roman mythology) told him not to in Greek and Roman mythology. For his punishment, Zeus tied him to a mountain where an eagle came to eat his liver everyday. (Glenn, Justin M. "Prometheus." 2008. [Place of access.] 28 Sept. 2008 http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar447600.) Another similarity between the cultures is that when the gods became angry they would often turn a human into an animal. In the Australian myth, Rainbow Serpent didn’t turn the humans into animals directly, but they turned into animals out of fear of him. In the Greek and Roman myths, if a mortal did something that made one of the gods angry, Zeus would sometimes punish them by turning them into animals directly. This shows that all three of the cultures valued gods above mortals, and mortals above animals, because they were punished by being turned into animals. A difference between the cultures is that the Australians were terrified of Rainbow Serpent after he made flying boulders out of the mountain, while most of the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses were praised and beloved. Similarities between Australian, Greek and Roman cultures include valuing education, knowing that transgressors always exist, and viewing gods above mortals, who were seen above animals; a difference was the way that the gods and goddesses were viewed by the people.

=__<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">Conclusion: __=

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">The culture and values of Aborigine culture, as well as the characteristics of a myth, are well shown in the dreamtime story of the Rainbow Serpent. The characteristics shown are just like the characteristics of the Greek myths that we have read. The culture of the Aborigines is very similar to the Greek and Roman cultures, and this is shown in the myth as well. While the Aborigines believe in their traditions, we believe in our own, just like the Greeks and Romans because every culture has their own beliefs, traditions, and myths. All cultures in this world are diverse. Image: <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt">Australia Flag. "australia-flag.jpg". Australia  Flag. 2008. http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/australia/flag.htm. 30 September, 2008.

=__<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive">Citations: __=


 * <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt">Australia Flag. "australia-flag.jpg".  Australia   Flag. 2008. http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/australia/flag.htm. 30 September, 2008.
 * <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> Australia Tourist Guide. "northern-territory-australia.jpg". Australia Tourist Guide. 2008. http://www.sydney-australia.biz/northern-territory/graphics/northern-territory-australia.jpg. 29 September, 2008.
 * <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> Glenn, Justin M. "Prometheus." 2008. [Place of access.] 28 Sept. 2008 http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar447600.
 * <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> Felson, Nancy. "Athena." 2008. [Place of access.] 29 Sept. 2008 http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar035400.
 * <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> Ingpen, Robert and Barbara Hayes. Folk Tales & Fables of Asia & Australia. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1994.
 * <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive"> Uhlenhut, Klaus. "australia.jpeg". Birdwatching Australia. 2008. <http://www.ausbird.com/jpegs/australia.jpg>. 30 September, 2008.