There is a lake in British New Guinea. It is deep and full of fish, and Abaia, the magic eel, dwells at the bottom. Abaia does not like to be disturbed. Like many snakes and eels in Melanesian beliefs, it is closely associated with weather, storms, and floods.
Once a man found Abaia’s lake and caught many fish. Then he invited the other inhabitants of his village to share in the endless bounty. They too filled their nets, and one woman caught Abaia himself, but the eel managed to escape.
In retaliation for this affront, Abaia caused it to rain that night. The lake water rose and everyone drowned – everyone, save for one old woman who sought refuge in a tree. She was the only one who had not eaten any of the fish.
References
Dixon, R. B. (1916) The Mythology of All Races v. IX: Oceanic. Marshall Jones Company, Boston.
I like how it isn’t explicitly said to be a god, but its just a massive storm-eel.
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I imagined it more like those scary eels from Super Mario 64
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This gave me life as soon as I saw it. I’m glad to see that you’re making more of these.
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❤
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I’m positively thrilled to see the old image format back. I’m constantly amazed by the amount of monsters and imagined beings you dredge up from the archives.
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Thanks 🙂
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Whoa. I’ve heard of the Abia, though had no idea it just killed millions of people. I mean, if it had that power why didn’t it just kill all the villagers BEFORE they killed it’s fellow fish?
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Perhaps a fable warning against overfishing?
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