Mungoongarlee the Iguana and Ouyouboolooey the Black Snake

So majestic, even if he's not venomous.

This fairy tale comes to us from Australia. Mungoongarlee the Iguana and Ouyouboolooey the Black Snake is a story of cunning and an explanation for why iguanas and snakes are they way they are. Some creation myths are light on the plot, but this one isn't. Click the link above to read it and continue below to analyze it with me.

I have to point out that none of this would have happened if Mungoongarlee had kept his appetite in check. It was only because he was killing so many people that the remaining people and creatures called a meeting to try to kill him. They introduce an interesting idea pretty early: they can't kill Mungoongarlee because he's too powerful. His violence is too much to be overcome with more violence. Maybe that's why trickster stories appeal to me. There's more than one way to stop someone from violence, after all.

It's surprising to me that no one besides Ouyouboolooey thought to try tricking Mungoongarlee. To me, that seems to be the next logical step. But maybe that's because I read so many fairy tales. I do like how Ouyouboolooey tricked Mungoongarlee by basically telling him the truth. The tribes didn't have a plan to kill him yet, but they were certainly working on one. Tricksters will usually twist the truth at least a little bit to meet their own ends, but this was almost entirely the truth, which is probably why Mungoongarlee believed it.

I also want to talk about how Ouyouboolooey almost killed Mungoongarlee, but only decided not to so he could have the poison instead. That's a big part of why I call Ouyouboolooey a trickster: he used trickery to get what was best for him. It seems like he was smart enough not to kill off too many people, either, since there's no follow up in the story about the tribes trying to kill him. I also understand that this is an origin story about why black snakes are venomous, but I like that it makes sense within the context of the story as well.

The moral of this story is not to trust the one thing you can't replace in someone else's hands...or mouth. Because you might not get it back from them. Alternatively, understand that there must be a balance in the way we interact with everyone around us, or there will be consequences.

Have a different moral? Wondering why the iguanas never shared the antidote plant with everyone else? Have a different story you want me to talk about? Comment below!