Black Horse

Goolahwilleel and His Crest

In short: Goolahwilleel returns to camp with a kangaroo. What looks like game from a distance is a sculpture he made from wattle gum.

Goolahwilleel and His Crest · The bird’s crest FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 39 Goolahwilleel and His Crest Goolahwilleel returns to camp with a kangaroo. Origin Aboriginal storytelling tradition of northwestern New South Wales, Australia. Atlas record 1896 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF The bird’s crest Reach¹ 1/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 1 records · 1 countries or regions blackhorsestories.com

¹ Based on the number of Atlas countries, capped at 10. ² Editorial suggestion for reading this page. Discover Black Horse’s question

Origin and tradition

Aboriginal storytelling tradition of northwestern New South Wales, Australia.

In Parker’s record, his family builds up the fire when they see the kangaroo from afar. Up close, they discover that they understood his promise differently. Goolahwilleel takes pride in his work, while his family has been waiting for food. They decide he will no longer go out alone. The final sentence links that decision to topknot pigeons feeding in flocks.

Dated records and sources

  1. 1896 · Australia · northwestern New South Wales
    K. Langloh Parker · Australian Legendary Tales · Goolahwilleel, the Top-Knot Pigeons · Published collection

Country pages

Origin
Black Horse. Goolahwilleel and His Crest. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-goolahwilleel/