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Overview
Guddah, a red lizard, and Beereeun, a small prickly lizard, are the two wives of the younger Goonur. After he beats them, they resolve to kill him and lure him into a water-filled pit disguised as a bandicoot nest. His mother restores him and hides his survival. The women discover him emerging from her carrying vessel and feign relief at his return. Their husband likewise pretends trust while preparing revenge, which culminates in their deaths in the creek.
The older Goonur finds both women and restores them, ordering them and her son to stop deceiving her and live in peace. The ending then distinguishes her death sign from theirs: a falling star and thunder accompany the Mother Doctor’s death, whereas the wives are taken into the sky when they die. They are collectively identified with Gwaibillah, the red star, whose colour the narrative connects to marks left on their bodies. The text does not assign each wife a separate named star, or describe their resurrection as permanent immortality.
Origins & earliest records
K. Langloh Parker, Australian Legendary Tales (1896), Goonur, the Woman-Doctor. Narran-region collection; no individual narrator assigned to this chapter.
Records & interpretation
Complete published English narrative, mediated through Parker’s collection and editorial presentation. The stated transformations and celestial or seasonal explanations belong to this specific account.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Australian Legendary Tales: Goonur, the Woman-Doctor
Complete selected chapter. Preface dated 24 June 1895 names regional contributors collectively; hosted transcription is not tied to one guaranteed paper edition.
Family, evolution & connections
The two Goonurs — Parker’s woman-doctor account
Complete Goonur, the Woman-Doctor narrative.
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- Her son Goonur, husband of Guddah and Beereeun
Explicit mother and son, with the son’s two named spouses retained as an annotation. Mother and son share a name but are separate people. Guddah and Beereeun are spouses, not biological children of the doctor; their sisterhood and offspring are unstated. Narrative healing is not medical guidance.
Goonur, the woman-doctor’s son
The narrative names Guddah and Beereeun as the younger Goonur’s wives. It does not state that the women are sisters or name any children of these marriages.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary historical collected narrativeParker: Goonur, the Woman-DoctorResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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