During my recent trip to Owl Mountains, Poland, I heard an legend which explained their interesting name. It is a legend about 7 sisters who were transformed into owls. A year ago I was in Blue Mountains, Australia, where I heard another legend about sisters - 3 this time. Although the legends come from two extreme corners of the World, there are similarities. In both stories a father causes his daughters' magical transformation. The sisters from Australia are turned into rocks, those of Poland - into owls. Does it sound interesting? Keep reading two legends about fathers and their daughters.
Three Sisters
Three Sisters is a group of rocks in the Blue Mountains in Australia. The rocks do not look like women, but the Aboriginal people have a beautiful legend that explains how they were created.
Once upon the time there was a sorcerer who had three daughters. The sorcerer - as all sorcerers in the World - had to collect herbs. In the Aboriginal culture, this occupation was reserved only for men. However, his daughters kept asking him to be taken along. I don't have daughters, but I believe little girls can be quite effective when they repeatedly ask their father for something...
Eventually, the sorcerer allowed them to accompany him. The herbs grew in a deep valley. So for security reasons, he left his daughters on a hill and went down to the valley alone. After some time the girls got bored and started to throw stones into the valley. The stones caused an avalanche, which woke up a giant. The giant got very angry and wanted to devour the girls. They screamed mortified. Their father heard them, and - being a sorcerer - used his magic bone and turned them into rocks. Then he transformed himself into a bird and flew up to draw the giant away from the sisters. Unfortunately he flew too close to the giant and was hit. This caused the magic bone to be dropped into the valley. Since then, the bird-sorcerer has been flying over the valley, looking for his magic bone. And his daughters have remained as rocks...
Seven Sisters
The name Owl Mountains is interesting. Surely, there must be owls. As I am inquisitive person, I have a legend that explains the name.
Once upon the time there was a peasant who had 7 daughters. They were very beautiful. So, their father thought he would find some rich husbands for them. He did not allow them to date local boys. The sisters were very unhappy. One day they found a fairy who gave them a magic shawl. The shawl could be used to transform humans into animals. There was however one condition - it only worked properly two times. Two times the girls could use it to be transformed into animals and then come back to human form. However the third use would be only one direction. They would remain animals forever. It seems that magic has the fine print...
The girls decided to be turned into hares and ran away from home. Their father tried to catch them, but the hares were too fast and nimble. So he decided to look for the fairy and demand that his daughters-hares be turned back into girls. The fairy was not able to do that, but she gave him the same magic shawl as had been offered to the 7 sisters. He turned himself into a fox and went after his daughters-hares. He was just about to catch them, when they returned to human form and immediately turned into deer. Deer are too big for a fox, so the peasant used his second transformation and became a wolf. Again, he was just about to catch his daughters. They panicked and used the shawl for the third time (btw, no idea how animals were able to use the shawl... :-) This time they chose to become owls and flew away. Remember the fine print of the magic? The father did and did not use his shawl for the third time.
Now, the 7 sisters are flying above the mountains in the nights. And their father is forever alone. He lost his daughters and did not gain the money he had dreamed of...
Lessons Learnt
- Don't play with magic
- Don't follow the whims of little girls
- Don't put money over your family
- and... always read the fine print!
