Bellin-Bellin- Aboriginal Australian SpiritSpirit"The Whirlwind"
Also known as: Belin-Belin and Bellin Bellin
Description
The whirlwind spirit of the Kulin nation, identified with the musk crow, who keeps the winds sealed in bags. When the creator Bunjil grew tired of the earth and wished to ascend to the sky, he called on Bellin-Bellin, who opened all his bags at once. The terrific whirlwind that burst out blew Bunjil and all his people up to the stars.
Mythology & Lore
The Wind Keeper
In Kulin tradition, Bunjil the eaglehawk and Waa the crow divide all of society between their two moieties. Bellin-Bellin, the musk crow, belongs to neither. He is the whirlwind, and he keeps the winds sealed in bags, releasing them only when purpose demands. The forces inside are dangerous and powerful, and Bunjil himself does not command them. Only Bellin-Bellin can open the bags.
The Ascension of Bunjil
Bunjil had shaped the mountains and rivers, made the first humans, and established the law. When the work of creation was done, he grew tired of staying upon the earth. He gathered his wives and his six young helpers at a place in his country and called to Bellin-Bellin to open the bags of wind.
Bellin-Bellin opened all his bags at once. A terrific whirlwind burst out, catching Bunjil and all his people and carrying them up into the sky, where they now live in plenty and look down on the world as stars. Bunjil himself is sometimes identified with the bright star Altair.
The whirlwinds that Bellin-Bellin released did not cease when Bunjil reached the sky. They continue whenever Bellin-Bellin opens his bags. The dust devils and willy-willies that sweep across the Australian landscape carry the same power that once lifted the creator to the heavens. When a whirlwind appears, Bellin-Bellin is at work.