How the Sun Came to Be: (Aboriginal/Australian)

Early in the Dreamtime there lived a young woman who decided to leave her village because the elders would not allow her to marry the man of her choice. When no one was looking, she ran away and hid in a place of rocks where there was little food and water. She barely slept and was hungry and thirsty, but she was not willing to return to her people and a marriage she did not want. When she saw the men coming to take her back by force, she ran even further into the barren land.

Bruised by stones and branches, exhausted from hunger, thirst, and lack of sleep, she was near death. Still, she kept moving. Any life was better than what she’d known. Her ancestor spirits became so concerned they gently lifted her into a quiet place in the sky world where she would be safe.

She slept peacefully for a long time, undisturbed. When she awoke, she found food and water. She lit a camp fire. Although she was alone, she was not afraid, only grateful she was warm and safe.

For a while she continued to be angry at the elders who would not let her live as she chose, but as she looked down, she saw that most of the men and women were sad she had left. Her heart began to soften. She felt a bit homesick but was now part of the sky world and could not return to where she had lived.

She asked herself, “What can I do? I cannot return yet I would like to help them.” As she kept looking at her people, she noticed they were often cold. Busy with chores, they had no time to warm themselves at the camp fire.

She decided to make her fire so big it would warm the people down below. All day she gave heat to her people. At night she let her fire die down because they were able to sit by their own fires.

When she saw how much this pleased and comforted them, she lit her fire afresh every morning. Soon, they began to look up each day for her sky-world fire. All the peoples of the earth became grateful for the warmth and light it gave them. They called it sun. 

---

June 2025 stories