This Creation story, Marmoo and Biamee, from New South Wales, is retold with permission, by Pauline McLeod

Biamee the Great Spirit, creates the world with all its plants, waterways, and breezes. While visiting the mountains, Marmoo the evil one, plans to destroy it all, by producing a plague of insects. Mother Nature comes to the rescue.

WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG, Biamee, the Creator Spirit, came down to earth. There was nothing here then, and Biamee decided to make it a beautiful place to live. So he made some areas mountainous and other places flat, as far as you could see. Other areas he made full of sand. Finally, he created the seashores.

When he had finished, Biamee added different kinds of plants. Plants, that could live in all these different areas. In the sandy deserts, he made shrubs and flowers, to live where it was hot and dry. Next, he made grasses and flowers, to live on the flat plains. He then made ferns and trees, which would survive in the mountains and, finally, he made grasses and shrubs, which could only live by the sea.

When he had finished making all of these, Biamee decided to add some water. Water, that would help the plants survive in their special places. Like waterholes in the deserts and rivers along the plains, waterfalls in the mountains, the great waves of the deep ocean and gentle seas by the shores. When he had finished all of this, Biamee added a soothing breeze, to caress the plants he had made.

Biamee was very pleased with what he had created and decided to stay on the earth for a while. So, high up in the mountains he stayed on, with Mother Nature.

Meanwhile, Marmoo, the evil one, watched everything Biamee created. When Biamee had finished, he went to his wife and complained about Biamee.

“Biamee thinks he is so wonderful, because he made the earth,” complained Marmoo. “He thinks he is so great.”

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