The Rainbow Serpent - Aboriginal Australian

Hello. My name is Gulu, and I’m a little frog. Long, long ago, before there were yummy flies to catch or lily pads to sit on, the world was very quiet. It was a very sleepy world. Everything was flat and gray under a big, dark sky. All the animals, just like me, were sleeping deep, deep under the earth. We were all waiting and waiting for something special to happen. We dreamed of sunshine and water to splash in. This is the story of how our world was painted with bright, beautiful colors. It is the story of the great Rainbow Serpent, who woke everyone up.

One day, a huge, colorful serpent pushed up from the ground. It was the Rainbow Serpent. It stretched its long, beautiful body. It had all the colors of a rainbow. As it wriggled and slid across the flat land, its shiny body carved deep paths. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. I watched with my big frog eyes as the paths it made filled with cool water. They became winding rivers for us to drink from. Where the Serpent curled up to take a little nap, it left behind deep, round waterholes. They were perfect for a little frog like me to swim in. The land it pushed up became tall, tall mountains and bumpy little hills.

The Rainbow Serpent woke up all the other animals, too. It tickled the kangaroos until they hopped. It sang a song to the birds so they would fly. Soon the world was filled with happy sounds. After its big job was done, the Serpent settled into a deep waterhole to watch over all the life it had created. This story helps us remember where the rivers and mountains came from. It teaches us to take care of our beautiful land. Today, when you see a big rainbow arching across the sky after it rains, that is the Rainbow Serpent. It is still there, painting the world with wonder and reminding us that we are all connected.