Wuriupranili
Encyclopedia
In the mythology of the Aboriginal people
of northern Australia
, the Sun Woman Wuriupranili (or Wuriunpranilli) is a solar goddess whose stringybark
torch is the sun
. When she wakes each morning in the east she lights a small fire, which mankind sees as the first glow of dawn. She then decorates her face and body with red ochre
. Often the pigment is blown into the air where it stains the clouds, resulting in a red sunrise. As Wuriupranili prepares herself for her journey across the sky the birds break into song, waking the men and women. Finally, she lights her stringybark torch from the campfire, then travels across the sky to her evening camp in the west. When she disappears below the western horizon she puts out her torch and redecorates her body with ochre, causing brilliantly-coloured sunsets. As night settles, she returns to her eastern morning camp via an underground tunnel.
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
of northern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the Sun Woman Wuriupranili (or Wuriunpranilli) is a solar goddess whose stringybark
Stringybark
A stringybark can be any of the many Eucalyptus species which have thick, fibrous bark. Like all eucalypts, stringybarks belong to the Myrtaceae family. In exceptionally fertile locations some stringybark species A stringybark can be any of the many Eucalyptus species which have thick, fibrous...
torch is the sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
. When she wakes each morning in the east she lights a small fire, which mankind sees as the first glow of dawn. She then decorates her face and body with red ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
. Often the pigment is blown into the air where it stains the clouds, resulting in a red sunrise. As Wuriupranili prepares herself for her journey across the sky the birds break into song, waking the men and women. Finally, she lights her stringybark torch from the campfire, then travels across the sky to her evening camp in the west. When she disappears below the western horizon she puts out her torch and redecorates her body with ochre, causing brilliantly-coloured sunsets. As night settles, she returns to her eastern morning camp via an underground tunnel.