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Mutating Myths
What happened to the stories of Native people when Europeans arrived?
When European settlers came to Australia and the Americas, they brought stories—and learned new ones from the people already there. The newcomers heard of frightening monsters and powerful spirits. Some scoffed at these stories while others told and retold the stories themselves.
People's beliefs are often changed by contact with other cultures. Missionaries, for instance, work to convince others to give up their previous beliefs. But old stories don't just disappear. More often, they survive and blend with new ideas—and sometimes it is the newcomers who adopt local beliefs.
Bunyip
According to legend, a man-eating monster called the bunyip once lived in the rivers, lakes and swamps of Australia. Its howl carried through the night air, making people afraid to enter the water. At night, the bunyip prowled the land, hunting for women and children to eat.
Over time, as European settlers retold this Aboriginal story, it became less frightening and its meaning changed; in the 1800s people used the word as an insult meaning "imposter." The bunyip became a plant-eater, not a man-eater, and it is now a friendly creature in children's books.
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