No. 294Aboriginal Australian Traditions

The Rainbow Serpent

Ngalyod · Yurlunggur · Wagyl · Goorialla (thuwathu)

Ancestral serpents of water, rain and law, each belonging to their own Country

Rainbow Serpent is an English name that gathers many separate ancestral beings, each belonging to its own nation, language and Country. Among them are Ngalyod in western Arnhem Land, Yurlunggur among the Yolŋu, Wagyl for the Noongar and Goorialla for the Lardil. They are not one deity, and this page does not merge them.

People of these nations hold that the beings are bound to water. They carve rivers, fill waterholes and, in some Countries, hold law and ceremony. Water gives life, and the serpent can be destructive if angered. These are living stories, told and kept by the people who hold them.

Ngalyod · Yurlunggur · Wagyl · Goorialla (thuwathu)
No. 294

How to recognise The Rainbow Serpent

  1. A great serpentLook for a serpent of immense size living in deep, permanent waterholes and controlling water; this is the shared public idea, not any one nation's design.
  2. The rainbowWhen a rainbow appears, it is said to be the serpent moving from one waterhole to another, and in Goorialla's story their spirit is seen in the sky after rain.
  3. Billabongs and waterfallsNgalyod is mostly associated with billabongs, creeks, rivers and waterfalls, so these are the settings to look for.
  4. Water lilies and palmsWater plants such as water lilies and palms accompany Ngalyod and mark the watery home of the being.
  5. The roar of the fallsThe roar of waterfalls is said to be Ngalyod's voice.
  6. Shedding skinNgalyod is held in awe for renewing their life by shedding their skin.
  7. Animal formsIn the stories of Ngalyod, the being takes several animal forms, including snake, kangaroo and crocodile, sometimes in combination, while Garriya of the Gamilaraay is described with a crocodile's head and a snake's body; these are different beings from different nations.

Names and titles

  • Moving Between WaterholesA rainbow is said to show the serpent travelling from one waterhole to another
  • Keeper of the WaterholesDescribed as living in deep permanent waterholes and controlling water
  • Voice of the WaterfallKunwinjku say the roar of a waterfall is Ngalyod's voice
  • Shedding Skin, Renewing LifeHeld in awe for renewing its life by shedding its skin
  • After the Rain, the RainbowIn the Goorialla story his spirit is seen in the sky after rain as the rainbow

The Rainbow Serpent in the shop

Designs of The Rainbow Serpent are being drawn: cute, vintage and a painted portrait.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Rainbow Serpent
  2. Encyclopedia.pub: Rainbow Serpent
  3. Mythus Wiki: Rainbow Serpent
  4. Radcliffe-Brown: The Rainbow-Serpent Myth of Australia
  5. Idaia: Ngalyod, Rainbow Serpent (Maningrida)
  6. Google Arts & Culture: Ngalyod Devours a Hunter
  7. Nomad Art: Rainbow Serpent
  8. World Peace Full: The Rainbow Serpent, a Sacred Symbol
  9. Mythlok: Yurlungur
  10. Snake Cult: Yolngu Djangkawu and Wawilak, Origins of Law
  11. Wikipedia: Wawalag
  12. Wikipedia: Djang'kawu
  13. Noongar Culture: Waakal
  14. Dialocal: Wagyl (Noongar)
  15. Wikipedia: Wagyl
  16. Mythlok: Wagyl
  17. State Library of Queensland: Word Week
  18. QAGOMA: Goobalathaldin Dick Roughsey
  19. NCACL: The Rainbow Serpent
  20. Coin City: 2025 Rainbow Serpent Coin
  21. Around the Meeting Tree: Students, Islanders, Mainlanders
  22. The Conversation: Symbolism of the Rainbow Serpent
  23. NSLA: Protocol 3
  24. CSIRO: ICIP Principles
  25. Parlour: Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property
  26. AIATSIS: Guide to Applying the Code of Ethics
  27. Kakadu National Park: Visitor Guide
  28. Northern Territory Tourism: Aboriginal Rock Art
  29. Visit East Arnhem: Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Art Centre
  30. Yothu Yindi Foundation: Garma Festival
  31. Wikipedia: Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures
  32. Aboriginal Art Australia: Rainbow Serpent
  33. Kate Owen Gallery: Rainbow Serpent
  34. Aboriginal Art Australia: Risharna Nakamarra Dickson, Snake Dreaming
  35. Mythologis: Rainbow Serpent, Creator and Destroyer
  36. Kate Owen Gallery: Aboriginal Dreamtime Stories
  37. Aboriginal Bark Paintings: Rainbow Serpent
  38. Didj Shop: The Rainbow Serpent
  39. Parktrek: Kakadu Visitor Guide
  40. The Nomadic Explorers: Kakadu Aboriginal Rock Paintings
  41. Beasts of Legend: Rainbow Serpent Lineages
  42. Northern Territory Tourism: Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre
  43. Western Australian Museum: post on X
  44. University of Queensland: The Story Behind the Paintings

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