Gnowee
Encyclopedia
In the mythology of the Aboriginal people
of south-eastern Australia
(specifically, the Wotjobaluk people who spoke the Wergaia
language), Gnowee is a solar goddess
whose torch is the Sun
. She was once a woman who lived upon the earth at a time when it was eternally dark, and people could only move about with the aid of bark torches. One day she left her little boy sleeping while she went out to dig for yams
. Food was scarce, and Gnowee wandered so far that she reached the end of the earth, passed under it and emerged on the other side. Not knowing where she was, she could not find her little boy anywhere, so she climbed into the sky with her great bark torch to get a clearer view. She still wanders the sky to this day, lighting the whole world with her torch as she continues to search for her lost son.
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
of south-eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(specifically, the Wotjobaluk people who spoke the Wergaia
Wergaia
Wergaia is an Indigenous Australian language group in the Wimmera region of north-Western Victoria. 20 clans made up the Wergaia language group which consisted of four distinct dialects: Wudjubalug/Wotjobaluk; Djadjala/Djadjali; Buibadjali; Biwadjali...
language), Gnowee is a solar goddess
Solar deity
A solar deity is a sky deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it, usually by its perceived power and strength. Solar deities and sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms...
whose torch is the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
. She was once a woman who lived upon the earth at a time when it was eternally dark, and people could only move about with the aid of bark torches. One day she left her little boy sleeping while she went out to dig for yams
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
. Food was scarce, and Gnowee wandered so far that she reached the end of the earth, passed under it and emerged on the other side. Not knowing where she was, she could not find her little boy anywhere, so she climbed into the sky with her great bark torch to get a clearer view. She still wanders the sky to this day, lighting the whole world with her torch as she continues to search for her lost son.