1 minute read
The Rainbow Serpent
from 9788203408519
Before reading
Which stories do you know about how the world was created?
The Rainbow Serpent ... in 30 seconds
During a time long ago, called the Dreamtime, the rainbow turned into a serpent and slithered down to Earth. After a while, he reached a campfire. The people made him welcome, and he taught them how to dance and sing. One day, a huge storm blew up. Two boys ran into the serpent’s hut looking for shelter, but the serpent was hungry and swallowed them whole. Next day, he secretly left the village. When people found that the boys were missing, they gave chase. They found the serpent fast asleep, coiled around a mountain. Silently, they crept closer and cut a slit in his side. But the two boys had turned into parrots and they flew away. Then the Rainbow Serpent woke up. Furious to find a gash in his side, he coiled tighter and tighter, until the mountain shattered and rocks fell across the countryside. A storm raged across the sky and rain poured down. Then he slithered off underground, leaving hills, lakes and rivers behind. 3-second sum-up
The Rainbow Serpent came to Earth, creating hills, rivers lakes and rain.
Dreamtime In Aboriginal belief, all the features of the Earth are sacred. They were created by the ancestor spirits long ago, in a time called the Dreamtime. The ancestor Vurderingseksemplar spirits travelled across Australia, some as humans, some as animals, shaping the landscape as they went.
After reading
a Which natural elements can you find in the myth? b What happens to the two boys in the myth? c What caused hills, lakes and rivers in the myth?
It ate two boys A rainbow turned into a serpent. It slithered down to earth
The villagers cut open the serpentVurderingseksemplar
The serpent was furious and caused a huge storm
It created hills, rivers and lakes as it slithered away
