Australian Legend: Ned Kelly

Rhys provided me with the following explanation of the Ned Kelly legend.

Another similar story taught in primary school was that of Ned Kelly. From what I can remember, he was a bushranger- or some type of outlaw. He headed a criminal gang robbing banks and generally breaking the law. Eventually he was killed in a shoot out with the local police. His really distinctive characteristic was a suit of armour (Australian spelling!) he wore, with the headpiece looking like a bucket with an eye slot cut out. He was portrayed like a Robin Hood type of hero. I think we also put on a play, in year 2, of Ned Kelly’s story.

Rhys has lived in Greenwich, a suburb of Sydney, his entire life. His father is American while his mother is Australian, but he has had a typical Australian upbringing. He said the legend of Ned Kelly is one that is known throughout Australia; every Australian knows who Ned Kelly was. As Rhys stated, he was a bushranger (outlaw) who roamed Australia in the second half of the 19^th century. There are debates over the actual events and occurrences of some aspects of his life and his gang activity. Interestingly, Rhys says that Kelly was killed in a shootout with local police. This is inaccurate. He was captured and seriously wounded in a shootout in Glenrowan, Victoria, but he was put on trial and eventually hung.

This legend has incredible significance not only in Rhys’ life, but in the lives of every Australian. Interestingly, Kelly’s legend has different feelings among Australians. Some view him as merciless killers while others view him as an Australian hero who embodies the Australian spirit (brave, clever). Some people like him for the fact that he outsmarted and outwitted the police for two years while he was on the run, an incredible feat. He is also known for treating the poor right and helping those in need. Rhys said that he views him as an outlaw, mainly for the way that he killed people and when he thinks of Ned Kelly, that is the first thing that comes to his mind. Either way, he is a national icon in Australia and everybody knows about him. In Glenrowan, there is a Ned Kelly Memorial Museum and a seven-meter statue of Kelly in his armor holding a gun greets everybody that enters Glenrowan. There are also cutouts along a path that illustrates the happenings of Kelly’s last stand. The legend of Ned Kelly was even made into a major motion picture, called Ned Kelly in 2003.

Personally, I view Kelly as an Australian hero. I lived in Australia from 6^th grade- 9^th grade (March 2000-March 2004) and actually visited Glenrowan. My impression from the visit was that Kelly was someone to be celebrated. There are so many songs and literature about Kelly that it was inevitable I sang songs and read books about him in various classes. I left Australia with the feeling that Kelly was really a part of the Australian culture and people in a positive way. There is no doubt that in 1880, when he was captured, 98% of the population wanted him dead and hated him for his ruthless and merciless spirit and killings, but now people view him as an icon and hero.

The legend of Ned Kelly is mentioned in many books, particularly in A Guide to Australian Folklore, by Gwenda Beed Davey and Graham Seal (published in 2003 by Kangaroo Press, pages 168-69). Davey and Seal agree that Kelly is an Australian icon to be celebrated. They agree in the Robin Hood comparison that Rhys makes, but take it one step further by suggesting that Kelly is the “most perfect representative” of the tradition of the outlaw heroes. They also suggest that Kelly is the only outlaw hero to be a national hero. I’m still not quite sure how exactly Kelly moved from a man that was loathed by Australians when he was alive to a man that is a hero today. Perhaps his effort (and some reports tell of his goodness) and his tactics he used to escape police for two years while they were constantly pursuing him led Australians to be captivated by his story. Regardless, it is an issue that could be discussed in an entire book.

Legend: La Velue

“My mother used to scare me into doing things by threatening that the monster “La Velue” would come after me.  It was basically this big, shaggy, monster with these poisonous spike/stinger kinds of things that hung from its body.  My mom told me that it was this weird animal thing that survived the legendary flooding without being on Noah’s Ark.”

Gillian told me about the French legend of “La Velue”, a clearly frightening monster that would appear to be incredibly scary to children.  She told me that when translated, “La Velue” means “Hairy one”, or “Shaggy Beast.”  As she described, “La Velue” is a legendary monster in French culture that is known for having survived the Biblical flood without joining the other animals on Noah’s Ark.  Gillian later elaborated that La Velue survived the flood by hiding in a cave in France.

Gillian explained that when she was little, if she misbehaved or didn’t do her chores, her parents would scare her by saying “I would listen to me if I were you, or you’ll get caught by La Velue.”  Here, her parents even combined the legend with a little rhyme to taunt Gillian.  By threatening her in this way, her parents remind her of how scary the monster is and how terrible her fate would be if she didn’t do the things she was told.  Also, by pairing the legend with a short little rhyme, her parents made it seem like the legend had even more validity because it came in multiple forms (legend and poem), and therefore must be known by many to be true.

Gillian told me that her mom learned the legend of La Velue from her parents, who are French.  The legend apparently has passed down through many generations and is well-known in France.  However the legend was never commonly used to threaten children, and this trend seemed only to exist in Gillian’s family.  In France, La Velue is used more as an excuse for bad things happening, almost as bad luck.  Velue would be blamed for creating such problems.  La Velue is also known in Portuguese cultures where it is called “La Peluda.”  (The legends of the two monsters, however, seem to be incredibly similar.) Though it is unknown how the legend spread, it is clear that this seems to be a legend that is known and told throughout many cultures.

When her Gillian’s mother had Gillian, she decided to continue the use of the legend of La Velue because it had worked when she was a child and scared her into behaving very well.  Gillian’s mother had also learned a lot about other legendary American creatures, like the Boogie Monster, and thought the concept was comparable.  Gillian got used to hearing about La Velue throughout her childhood, and says it is probably a legend she will share with her kids, as well.

The legend of La Velue proves to be effective because of the way it scares children.  In many cultures around the world, parents look for ways to discipline their children.  La Velue, like other legendary creatures, works very well because it slightly torments the children without actually harming them.  Though La Velue is a unique monster and known only in French and Portuguese cultures, the concept signifies a trend all over the world that is used in raising children.

Legend:

“Basically I heard this story that if you swim in a pool, you can get pregnant.  I think the legend goes that once a nun went swimming in a pool and got pregnant, so now people think that if you go swimming, you can get pregnant, too.”

Though she isn’t religious, Gillian told me that she heard this legend from a couple friends she had in middle school.  She said that one of her friends of her general group of friends, who was very religious said she heard the story from her parents, who received it in a funny email.  Though neither she nor her parents actually believe the legend, she were amused by it and told it to their friends.  She, Gillian, and the rest of their group from then on referenced the legend whenever they were near a pool or talking about swimming.

The legend seems to contain much irony because according to Christian belief, nuns aren’t supposed to engage in sexual intercourse, and therefore, aren’t ever supposed to get pregnant.  However, when the story came around that a nun went swimming and somehow got pregnant, it obviously became very interested and peculiar news.  If this had been a story about a random person who had gotten pregnant after swimming, it may not have had the same effect.  By including a nun, the legend seems to become much more powerful because nuns are known for not getting pregnant, and therefore the story is particularly intriguing.

This legend also seems particularly amusing to Gillian and her friends because they were at an age at which they were just learning about puberty.  Though Gillian’s friends’ parents were only slightly amused by it, Gillian and her friends were the ones who really engaged in retelling the story over and over.  This is most likely because as young girls, they were just learning about menstruation, sex, and pregnancy.  At this age, these topics seem somewhat taboo, scary, or awkward to talk about.  By participating in telling this story, they are showing a natural curiosity and interest in unknown human functions and topics that are typically left for adults to discuss.  Also, by joking around about such a taboo topic, the girls eliminate any embarrassment because subconsciously they know the story is ridiculous, as well.  However, by pretending the story is real and going along with it, they then make it less embarrassing to discuss any other beliefs or stories they heard about these topics and won’t feel as stupid about sharing anything ridiculous that they happen to hear.  In general, while this story clearly isn’t true, it’s a striking and peculiar legend that proves to be very amusing to young girls and those who discuss beliefs about pregnancy and amusing tales related to these types of bodily functions.  It also provides an amusing kind of joke about religion due to its contradictory nature.

Folk Legend

“When I was little, I always used to hear legends about the “New Jersey Devil.”  The Jersey Devil was described to be a strange creature with reptile wings and hooves.  The Devil is said to live in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, which is about an hour south of where I live; there are a lot of trees and very strange people are rumored to live in that area.  The story goes that the Leeds family came to America from England a couple hundred years ago and the Leeds were desperate to have children.  After the twelfth child, Mrs. Leeds got pregnant again and is said to have yelled something about that child being the devil, and when she gave birth it was the NJ devil.  A lot of people say they have seen the Jersey devil all over, and mainly in the Pine Barrens area.”

I’ve heard this story ever since I was little.  I heard it from friends, family members, camp counselors, teachers, etc.  It is a very well known rumor in New Jersey, and even the NJ Devils hockey team is said to be named after the creature (most likely to give off the sense of being fierce and ‘killing’.) It is essentially a legend that anyone born and raised in New Jersey grows to learn and re-tell.

It is likely that legends like these stem from a combination of a family story and sighting of a variety of animals.  The Leeds family probably did have a lot of children; maybe one died, or got kidnapped, but the rumors most likely began about something being wrong with one of the children.  Additionally, New Jersey has a wide variety of animals, and a lot of forests (despite what most think.)  It would be incredibly easy to mistake a horse, dog, winged animal, or even human for the Jersey Devil at night when details are hardly visible.  Some speculate that the creature could actually exist and be a very rare animal species that happens to be very afraid of humans.

Another way this legend was probably formed is because the Pine Barrens is said to be a very, very strange area of New Jersey.  The people who I’ve talked to about the Pine Barrens and south Jersey say that there is a lot of incest and deformed people along with very odd families.  It is very likely that this inspired someone, or a group of people, to create a humorous and scary legend about this area that would last for years to come.

The legend of the Jersey Devil is also very similar to a variety of other legends about creatures whose existence no one can quite prove (sea monsters, witch tales, the “Boogey Monster,” etc.)  It would be very easy to take the above factors and combine them with some already known legends in order to make a new legend that would provide entertainment for the citizens of New Jersey.  This is a tale that is told over and over, especially to kids; it could simply be another form of a ghost story or legend that adults would tell kids to scare them at camp or give them something to talk about.

Finally, the legend of the New Jersey Devil gives the state an additional amount of pride.  People in America tend to generally be very proud of where they come from and consistently look for ways to identify themselves.  The story of the Devil gives New Jersey citizens something interesting to tell people from out of state, and also gives them an additionally sense of identity and pride.