The Bunyip

Andrew Lang

Synopsis

Some young men left to get food for their wives and children. It was a hot day, but they liked the heat. They reached a flat place with a set of pools with plants surrounding each pool. They were about to go into the water and pull up the plants for food when one of the youth stoped them. He suggested that they fish for eels and anything else that they could get. They all began to arrange their fishing lines and look for bait. Most of them used worms but one put a piece of raw meat on the line, unseen by the others. Suddenly, his line disappeared into the water. When he finally pulled his line up, they saw that it was the cub of the Bunyip. The mother of the cub wailed with rage in her eyes, but the man declared that he was going to keep it. They ran away from the awful Bunyip. When they got back to the camp they saw that the river was rising faster than they ever seen it do before. All of them transformed into blacks swans forever and the mother got her cub back.

Characteristics

Special Begining-"Long, long ago, some young men..."

Good Character-I think that the youth are they good characters.

Bad Character-I think that the Bunyip is the bad character because she turned the men into swans.

Warning-The warning occurred "as the mother rose up from her den and came toward them, rage flashing from her horrible yellow eyes" and warned them to let it go.

Magic Use-The magic happened when the youth that took the Bunyip became swans and "never again did the swans become men."

Problem/Solution-The young men took the cub and then the mother turned them into peaceful swans.

Unexpected Consequences-The unexpected consequence happened when "the water had risen higher than they have ever known it to before" and they all turned into swans.

Connection to Australia

It is normally hot in the north part of Australia and in the story it was a hot day. Many Australians eat seafood and in the story they were fishing for food for their families. Many early Australians were hunters and gatherers. The Bunyip is a mythical creature from Aboriginal Australian mythology.