Gooloo, Magpie Child-Abductor

Overview

Gooloo is introduced as an elderly woman and named as a magpie. She has gathered grass seed and makes meal on grinding stones. Persuading nearby mothers to gather honey, fruit and yams, she offers to feed and watch their children rather than have them carried on the outing.

She gives the children seed cakes, honey and fruit, then secretly moves them into her real home inside a hollow tree and secures it. Their crying is heard but neither mothers nor fathers can locate them. The narrative ends with prolonged mourning, without a rescue or an explicit claim that Gooloo eats the children. Her animal naming and deceptive hospitality are the distinctive evidence.

Origins & earliest records

K. Langloh Parker, Australian Legendary Tales (London: David Nutt, 1896), Gooloo the Magpie, and the Wahroogah, pp. 15–18.

Records & interpretation

Complete selected English retelling inspected; Parker’s preface and 1896 title page checked.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Australian Legendary Tales: Gooloo the Magpie, and the Wahroogah, pp. 15–18

   K. Langloh Parker, collector and English reteller; individual storyteller unassigned · 1896

   Selected complete tale, not the whole collection, inspected.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Primary collected textParker 1896: Gooloo the Magpie, and the WahroogahResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.