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The Aboriginal gods are a race of superhumanly powerful humanoid beings who have been worshiped by the Australian Aboriginal peoples from approximately 8,000 BC into modern times. Most of the Aboriginal gods dwell in Alchera, a realm bordering the "Dream Dimension" of the demon Nightmare within the Dreamtime, the collective unconsciousness of all sentient beings in the universe. The Aboriginal gods are called different names by their human worshipers; for example, the god of creation Baiame is know as "Bunjil" by the Kulin, the "Minawara" by the Nambutji, "Karora" by the Gurra, and "Wuragag" by the Gunwinggu. Unlike many of their counterparts in other Earth-based pantheons, the Aboriginal gods are still actively invoked and worshiped on Earth by a handful of remote Aboriginal tribal groups.[1]
History
Origin
The Aboriginal gods' precise origin, like that of all Earth's pantheons, is shrouded in legend. According to ancient myths, the god Altjira could not depart the Dreamtime without losing his powers. However, he directed the other Aboriginal gods to temporarily leave the Dreamtime and descend to the Australian continent within the Earth realm eons ago when the land was barren and featureless. The gods then proceeded to shape the landscape according to Altjira's plan; Julunggul, the Rainbow Serpent, dug deep into subterranean waterholes and began to carve out gullies that became rivers; while Baiame gave form to the mountains and forests. However, Marmoo, the god of evil, grew jealous of the newly created world and, believing that it was more difficult to destroy than to create, set out to prove his abilities by fashioning a tribe of insectoid warriors in his own grotesque image. When Marmoo sent his insect swarms to ravage the landscape, the Earth Mother Gaea (known to the Aboriginal gods as "Dilga" and "Nungeena," among other names) wove flowers together and transformed them into a flock of lyrebirds that attacked and defeated the insect horde.[1]
Over one hundred millennia ago, Orphan - a sentient extraterrestrial device capable of telepathic communication and transforming dreams into reality - crash-landed on Earth in the Australian outback.[1]
8000 BC
Approximately 10,000 years ago, Julunggul the Rainbow Serpent shed her skin. Altjira collected this skin, stretched it over the frame of night, and sealed it with the kiss of sleep to create a great vessel capable of sailing through the Dreamtime to any realm inhabited by gods, regardless of their shape or form.[1]
Around that time, the Austalian Aboriginal peoples started worshiping the Aboriginal gods.[1] The Oprhan was eventually located by an Aboriginal tribe who venerated it, regardin it as their own link to the Dreamtime, thus strengthening their belief in Altjira and his progeny.[1]
Modern Age
The worship in the Aboriginal gods didn't fade out in modern days, with a handful of remote Aboriginal tribal groups still actively invoking and worshiping them.[1]
When the X-Men's Longshot attempted to enter the Dreamtime, he was attacked and rendered unconscious by Altjira, who had left the Dreamtime - albeit without his full powers.[1]
Later, when the Olympian god Athena convened a meeting of the Council of Godheads to address an impending Earth invasion by the extraterrestrial Skrulls, Altjira was present to represent the Aboriginal gods' interests. After a team of gods from various Earth-based pantheons were chosen to lead a preemptive assault against the Skrull gods, Altjira contributed the Dreamtime vessel, which he had constructed from the Rainbow Serpent's skin 10,000 years earlier. This vessel allowed the Earth gods to traverse the Dreamtime and lead a direct attack on the Skrull gods, although it was destroyed in the battle.[1]Powers and Abilities
Powers
Superhuman Strength: All members of the Aboriginal pantheon possess some degree of superhuman strength. Though not as physically powerful as some other pantheons, such as the Asgardians or Olympians, the average male Aboriginal god is able to lift about 20 tons while the average goddess is able to lift about 10 tons.
Superhuman Speed: Each member of the pantheon is able to run and move at speeds that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human specimen, though the upper limit of the speed varies between members.
Superhuman Stamina: The musculature of the Aboriginal gods is much more efficient than that of a human being. Their muscles produce considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activities than those of humans. The average Aboriginal god and goddess can exert themselves at peak capacity for roughly 24 hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in their blood begins to impair them.
Superhuman Durability: The skin, bone and muscle tissues of the gods are much tougher and more resistant to physical injury than the bodies of humans. The average Aboriginal god and goddess is capable of withstanding falls from great heights, exposure to temperature extremes, great impacts and high caliber bullets without sustaining injury.
Superhumanly Dense Tissue: The density of an Aboriginal god’s bodily tissues is about twice that of a human being, contributing somewhat to their great strength. As a result, they’re actually much heavier than they appear to be.
Regenerative Healing Factor: It is possible for the Aboriginal gods to sustain injury. If injured, their extremely efficient metabolisms enable them to rapidly heal damaged bodily tissue much more extensively than a human is capable of. The average god or goddess, however, is unable to regenerate missing limbs or organs.
Immortality: The Aboriginal gods are functionally immortal in the sense that they cease to age upon reaching adulthood and are immune to the effects of all known Earthly diseases and infections. However, this doesn’t mean that they can’t die. It is possible for them to sustain injuries, such as being incinerated for instance, that can cause their physical deaths. It’s possible, however, for a number of gods working together to resurrect a deceased member if his or her life essence is beyond resurrection.
Superhuman Agility: All members of the Aboriginal pantheon possess agility, balance and bodily coordination beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human specimen.
Superhuman Reflexes: The reflexes of an Aboriginal god are also enhanced to superhuman levels. The reflexes of the Aboriginal gods are proportionally superior to those of most other god pantheons as a means of balancing out their typically inferior levels of physical strength.
Shapeshifting: Most Aboriginal gods are highly skilled metamorphs and can shift all portions of their bodies into the shapes of animals, inanimate objects, other humanoid beings, etc. While this common among the various pantheons, the Aboriginal gods are more adapt at it than most others.
Mystical Energies: Many Aboriginal gods also possess additional superhuman abilities that are magical in nature. A common example of this is to be able to open magical gateways to other realms or dimensions. A few of them, however, are more advanced. The Aboriginal God of Lightning, Mamaragan, for instance, is capable of controlling storm clouds and generating intense, thunder-like shockwaves.Miscellaneous
Cultural Traits
Representatives
Notes
- In real-world mythology, the Australian gods and the Oceanic gods both had Maori origins, suggesting, at least behind the scenes of the Marvel Universe, that the Aboriginal Gods and the Oceanic gods are two separate tribes of one pantheon, much like the Aesir and Vanir of the Asgardian Gods.
Trivia
- In Australian mythology, the closest name of the Australian gods is Wondjina, although this name is usually preclusive to the gods associated with weather.
- In Australian mythology, Alchera is a period of the Earth's past, not the home of the Australian gods, otherwise identified as Tuniruna ("upper world"). According to all Australian tribes, all history exists in three different time periods. The modern age exists in Real Time when mankind exists, the memories of our ancestors taught to their descendants exist in Past Time and the period of time before mankind existed is called Dream Time ("Alcherah"). During the Dream Time, the Australian gods created mortal man, cleaved mountains and rivers and created trees and forests out of the inhospitable world to make it suitable for mortals.
See Also
- 2 appearance(s) of Aboriginal Gods
- 2 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Aboriginal Gods
- 3 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Aboriginal Gods
- 1 image(s) of Aboriginal Gods
- 9 representative(s) of Aboriginal Gods