Emu Creation Myths

The emu is prominent in Aboriginal mythology. One of my favorites is a creation myth, of which I’ve read many versions. Here is my melded interpretation.

In the Dreamtime, (the time outside of time – where all things can happen at once) emu spirit was a sky-bird that never touched the earth. As emu flew in the heavens she looked down upon the newly created earth and marveled at the beauty. There were rivers, mountains, plants and animals of incredible variety. Yet the earth only had the faint light of the stars as illumination because there was no sun.

Emu thought to herself – there is too much beauty here to be lost in such darkness – and so she sacrificed one of her glorious emerald eggs by tossing it into the sky, then tapping it with her beak. As the egg split in half the golden yoke flew across the sky and became the first sunrise on our world.

Genesis 1:3 – “Let there be light.” Maybe it was an emu?