Twin Suns in Australian Aboriginal Traditions

Abstract

The oral traditions of Aboriginal cultures across Australia contain references to the presence of multiple Suns in the sky at the same time. Explanations of this have been largely regarded as symbolic or mythological, rather than observations of natural phenomena. In this paper, we examine oral traditions describing multiple Suns and analyse interpretations that could explain them. Our analysis of the oral traditions concludes that descriptions of multiple Suns fall into two main categories: one describing the changes in the path of the Sun throughout the year, and the other describing observations of parhelia, an atmospheric phenomenon known as 'Sun dogs' that creates an optical illusion of multiple Suns in the sky at once. This analysis shows how Aboriginal people pay close attention to natural phenomena, assign them social meaning, and incorporate them into oral tradition.