According to the myth, Chinimin spoke out about his fathers reign. Although the “Lord of All” knew of his complaints, he still felt Chinimin had to be punished. Chinimin fled to the river in hopes of escaping his father’s wrath. The river symbolizes the “barrier” between the earth and the spirit world. Gertrude Jobes describes water as “cleansing and spiritual rebirth” (page 1667). In essence the river acts as Chinimin’s mother, a place of protection. Chinimin is fearful of his father (the enemy), Chinimin’s fear relates to the Oedipal complex, one of the twelve archetypes. The Oedipal complex is whe

Once planted on the shore again, Chinimin and his father engage in a fierce battle. Chinimin out of protection for himself stabs his father with a spear. The god, filled with pain, fell to the ground, pulling himself to find “something to stop the pain,” or even something to fight back with. The “Lord of All” finally reaches the shore where his body is transformed into a snake. The spear, according to Gertrude Jobes, means “creation and death” (page 1480, 1481). At this point, one could consider the twelfth archetype of death and old age. The “Lord of All” is faced with death after being stabbed by his son. The way the god was faced with death relates to that of a hunting society, in a way that death is associated with violence. This being stated, one could assume that this myth comes from a patriarchal society. One point to support this is the idea that it deals with a hunting culture. The other being that both Chinimin and his father are male. At this point in the myth the snake is introduced. According to Gerturde Jobes, the snake symbolizes “evil, treachery, and life.” One could assume in this myth that the snake represents good and evil. Joseph Campbell states “Now the snake in most cultures is given a positive interpretation…The serpent represents the power of life engaged in the field of time, and of death, yet eternally alive” (Power of Myth, page 47).

n young boys develop hatred towards their father so they can marry their mother. The father becomes the first enemy, therefore leading Chinimin to speak out about his father’s reign. Chinimin’s fear also relates to the birth trauma. “Fear is the first experience of the fetus in the womb” (Campbell, page 52). Chinimin’s escaping through the river represents coming through the birth canal and out of the amniotic fluid. The river being the “barrier” or the womb and the water, “restores life and youth” (Jobes page1341, 1667). Chimimin made it as far as the river where he was met by his father and drug back to the shore by a swarm of bees. The bees represent “

Some topics in this essay:
Gertrude Jobes, Power Myth, Joseph Campbell, Finally Jobes, Rainbow Snake, Australian Aborigine, World Religions, Gerturde Jobes, Puberty Rights, myth page, Moyers Genesis, power myth page, power myth, jobes page, “lord all”, snake’s body, gertrude jobes, joseph campbell, rainbow snake, page 356-359, patriarchal society, jobes page 356-359, according gertrude jobes, chinimin’s fear relates, water spirit river,