Tnorala, the Cradle That Fell from the Sky
In the desert west of Alice Springs stands a ring of hills. The Western Arrernte say a baby's cradle fell there from the sky, while the stars were dancing.
What was reported
Tnorala is a ring of cliffs about 5 kilometres across, rising from the plains of central Australia. In Western Arrernte tradition, in the creation time, a group of women danced across the sky as stars, and one put her baby down in its wooden carrier. The carrier fell over the edge of the Milky Way and crashed into the earth, forming the ring.
The baby's parents, the morning and evening stars, still look for it, people say. Tnorala is a sacred site.
Explanations offered
Geologists have found that Tnorala is the eroded remains of a crater made when an asteroid or comet struck about 142 million years ago. The tradition of a sky object falling there is remarkable for that reason. It's a conservation reserve managed with its traditional owners.
- When
- Told for thousands of years
- Where
- Tnorala (Gosses Bluff), Northern Territory, Australia
- Witnesses
- The Western Arrernte people
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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