Ancient Wisdom Atlas

Motif

Water released from a tree to save thirsty children

water_released_from_a_tree_to_save_thirsty_children

A motif of the Divine Intervention and Guidance family. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.

2 occurrences

2 traditions

australian aboriginal (1) · indigenous australian (1)


australian aboriginal

  • Australian Legendary Tales: folk-lore of the Noongahburrahs as told to the Piccaninnies CONTENTS / PREFACE / INTRODUCTION / ANDREW LANG.; lines 1446-1552 confidence: high

    Googarh and his two wives go hunting with opossum-skin water bags but leave no water for the two small children, who nearly perish from thirst. Their elder brother arrives and the children point toward the tree.

    The elder brother splits the goolahgool, releasing water as a stream so the small children can drink after being left without water.

    read in the book

indigenous australian

  • Australian Legendary Tales: folk-lore of the Noongahburrahs as told to the Piccaninnies CONTENTS / PREFACE / INTRODUCTION / ANDREW LANG.; lines 1443-1549 confidence: high

    Googarh, Moodai, Cookooburrah, and Cookooburrah’s sons are introduced; their camp is near a goolahgool, a water-holding tree with a hollow trunk and split fork.

    A water-holding tree is split by the elder brother, causing water to gush out so the thirsty children can drink and bathe.

    read in the book