Tradition / Region: Australian Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Mountain dweller
The Myth
On the rocky plateaus of Arnhem Land there move, in the cold hours of night, the nadubi—evil spirit people who haunt the bush.
They look almost human at first glance, but their bodies betray them. From their elbows and knees sprout sharp barbed spines. Some are said to bear spines on other parts of their bodies as well. In ancient rock shelters, figures painted on stone show these strange beings: a woman marked with spines, and creatures with jagged tails and protrusions like weapons grown from flesh.
The nadubi do not wander in daylight. They wait for darkness, when the air turns chill and travelers grow weary. They watch for those who move alone through the bush, far from the safety of campfires and companions.
When a lone traveler passes through their territory, a nadubi creeps silently behind. Without warning, it thrusts one of its barbed spines into the victim’s body. The spine lodges deep within the flesh. At first the wound may seem small, but sickness soon follows. Fever rises, strength fades, and death creeps closer with each passing hour.
Only a medicine man can see the nadubi and understand what has happened. Only he can draw out the hidden spine before the poison spreads too far. But often the help comes too late. The wounded traveler weakens, and by morning another life has been taken by the spirits of the night.
Because of the nadubi, people warn one another never to walk alone in the bush after dark. And though medicine men keep watch and drive the spirits away from encampments, sometimes their vigilance fails. Then, in the silence of the plateau, a sudden scream pierces the night—proof that the nadubi still roam.
Gallery
Sources
abookofcreatures.com contributors. (n.d.). Nadubi. In abookofcreatures.com, from https://abookofcreatures.com/2019/05/03/nadubi/
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Nadubi