wollunqua

Updated: May 11, 2025

There are the ceremonies performed by the Australian Warramunga for the purpose of propitiating or coercing the terrible water snake Wollunqua.

Crawford Howell Toy - Introduction to the History of Religions: Handbooks on the History of Religions, Volume IV

The cult of the serpent is found in many parts of the Old World; it is also not unknown in America; in Australia, on the other hand, though many species of serpent are found, there does not appear to be any species of cult unless we include the Warramunga cult of the mythical Wollunqua totem animal, whom they seek to placate by rites.

Various - Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Part 1, Slice 1

This creature is a totem, but a totem of unique character a fabulous animal, never visible, a creation of the imagination; the totem proper is a visible object whose relations with human beings are friendly, the Wollunqua is savage in nature and often hostile to men.

Crawford Howell Toy - Introduction to the History of Religions: Handbooks on the History of Religions, Volume IV