Goomblegubbon- Aboriginal Australian SpiritSpirit
Also known as: Goomble-Gubbon
Description
The bustard spirit in Kamilaroi and Euahlayi Dreamtime stories, known for her rivalry with Dinewan the emu. Goomblegubbon tricked Dinewan into cutting off her wings, but Dinewan retaliated by tricking Goomblegubbon into reducing her brood to only two chicks.
Mythology & Lore
The Bustard's Trick
In the Dreamtime, both Dinewan the emu and Goomblegubbon the bustard possessed wings and could fly. Goomblegubbon, jealous of Dinewan's status as the largest bird, hid her own wings tightly against her body and approached her rival. She boasted that she could run faster and more freely without wings, that wings were a burden. She urged Dinewan to cut hers off. Dinewan, deceived by the display, did so. Only afterward did she discover that Goomblegubbon still had hers. From that time, the emu could no longer fly.
Dinewan's Retaliation
Dinewan plotted her revenge. She hid all but two of her chicks and told Goomblegubbon that she had killed the rest because a smaller brood meant more food for each chick. Goomblegubbon, taken in by the same kind of trick she had used, killed all but two of her own brood. Too late, she discovered that Dinewan's other chicks were merely hidden.
Parker recorded this story in her 1896 collection of Kamilaroi and Euahlayi traditions. The emu remains earthbound. The bustard lays only two eggs.
Relationships
- Enemy of