Nungeena

The mother spirit who lived in a water fall hidden in a fertile valley in the mountains. She aided Baiame in averting a plague of insects sent by Marmoo. She made the different kinds of birds, aided by her attendant spirits. The younger spirits were clumsy and made ugly-looking birds. The spirits from the watery regions made birds that could swim and wade in the swamps and rivers. The spirits of the coastal lands made gulls; the night spirits who put the flowers to sleep made the mopokes and nightjars; the swiftest of the spirits made the fantails, the swallows, and the fly-catchers; and the little spirits that spent their lives among the flowers fashioned robins, wrens, and mistletoe birds.

When they were all made, and the air was filled with the sound and movement of wings, Baiame gave them voices to match their beauty. He then ordered them to go forth and destroy the hordes of Marmoo.

References

Source

  • Reed, A. W. (1965). Myths and Legends of Australia. Sydney: A. H. and A. W. Reed, pp 30-32, 153.