Aboriginal rock painting at Nourlangie, Kakadu National Park.
This painting depicts quite a few characters and scenes.
The person on the right with the tentacle-like projectings from his head is Namarrkun, 'Lightning Man'. Bright light arcs across his shoulders and he uses axes attaches to his heads, elbows and knees he strike the clouds to create thunderclaps.
During the wet season, the Top End of Australia has some fearful thunder storms. Just like some people who chase tornadoes elsewhere in the world, some Australians are 'storm chasers' and go to the Northern Territory to witness the spectacle.
The story of the fat looking man in the middle of the picture is somewhat less savoury. He is Namondjok, who committed incest with a relative (perhaps not his sister, the Aborigines of the region had sophisticated relationship rules) on a ledge above this painting. Namondjok's relative took a feather from his head-dress as evidence. Namondjok stayed up on the ledge as long as he could to avoid retribution, but eventually had to come down to flee into the river. He turned into a crocodile, but not before spears were thrown into his back. Crocodiles still bear the scars of these spears today, which can be seen in the pattern of ridges on their back. Namondjok is also a creation ancestor, father of other characters in the Aboriginal dreaming.

Aboriginal rock painting at Nourlangie, Kakadu National Park.
This painting depicts quite a few characters and scenes.
The person on the right with the tentacle-like projectings from his head is Namarrkun, 'Lightning Man'. Bright light arcs across his shoulders and he uses axes attaches to his heads, elbows and knees he strike the clouds to create thunderclaps.
During the wet season, the Top End of Australia has some fearful thunder storms. Just like some people who chase tornadoes elsewhere in the world, some Australians are 'storm chasers' and go to the Northern Territory to witness the spectacle.
The story of the fat looking man in the middle of the picture is somewhat less savoury. He is Namondjok, who committed incest with a relative (perhaps not his sister, the Aborigines of the region had sophisticated relationship rules) on a ledge above this painting. Namondjok's relative took a feather from his head-dress as evidence. Namondjok stayed up on the ledge as long as he could to avoid retribution, but eventually had to come down to flee into the river. He turned into a crocodile, but not before spears were thrown into his back. Crocodiles still bear the scars of these spears today, which can be seen in the pattern of ridges on their back. Namondjok is also a creation ancestor, father of other characters in the Aboriginal dreaming.