Cheeroonear of Aboriginal Australian Folklore

December 19, 2023
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Into Horror History
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Have you ever heard about the Cheeroonear? The name may sound, well, cheery, like something fun to stumble across while out on a morning stroll. It's a furry creature from Aboriginal Australian folklore, a mix between a human and a dog.

You know, like a werewolf. 🐺 Or, like those other dog-faced creatures from various stories around the world. It seems like nearly every culture has its own version of legendary dog-faced creatures, doesn't it?

The FCI, an organization with dog expertise, recognizes hundreds of dog breeds, ranging from tiny and cute to built-like-a-tank.

Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI)

(English: International Canine Federation)

‍The largest international federation of national kennel clubs and purebred registries. The FCI is based in Thuin, Belgium and has 98 members and contract partners (one from each country). The purpose of the FCI is to make sure that the pedigrees and judges are mutually recognised by all the FCI member countries. At present, the FCI recognises 356 breeds.

— Thanks, Wikipedia

And, depending on which dog breed we're talking about when looking at human-dog hybrids or dog-faced creatures, it's easy to imagine a friendly encounter or one that puts us in mortal danger.

A creative AI-generated depiction of a Were-Pomeranian, blending the concept of a werewolf with a Pomeranian dog. This creature has the adorable, fluffy face of a Pomeranian and the body of a muscular werewolf.
The stuff of nightmares. Yappy nightmares.

The Cheeroonear of Aboriginal Australian folklore is said to roam the Nullarbor Plain in Australia, a vast, almost otherworldly landscape. Perfect stomping grounds for a legendary creature.

What is the Nullarbor Plain?

The name Nullarbor is Latin, meaning "no trees." (Nullarbor pronunciation here.) That simple description is pretty accurate, and the Nullarbor Plain resembles something from a sci-fi movie.

A red dirt road stretches into the horizon of the Nullarbor Plain under a vast sky with scattered clouds.
Nullarbor Plain looks like a pretty harsh landscape.

Geographically speaking, it's huge, covering an area of about 1,100 kilometers (~683 miles) between South and Western Australia. It also happens to be one of the world's largest limestone karst landscapes.

Karst.
noun

GEOLOGY

1. landscape underlain by limestone which has been eroded by dissolution, producing ridges, towers, fissures, sinkholes, and other characteristic landforms [like caves].

Example: Last night, I dreamt that my bathtub was a karst landscape, complete with miniature stalagmites and stalactites, and every time I turned on the faucet, a tiny underground river formed, much to the delight of the rubber ducks.

Okay, so that definition is from Oxford Languages. The example is not.

Now that you know roughly what "karst" refers to, I can say this dramatic sentence: Nullarbor Plain is one of the few places on Earth for legends to roam.

A road sign reading "NULLARBOR PLAIN - WESTERN END OF TREELESS PLAIN" stands beside a paved road under a blue sky with wispy clouds on the Nullarbor Plain.
No (or very few) trees give Nullarbor Plain a surreal feeling.

The climate is very dry, and the summer temperatures reach scorching hot. At night, the temperature can plummet in the way of deserts. Underneath Nullarbor Plain lies massive caves, many of which remain unexplored. Just on the South edge of Nullarbor Plain is the Great Australian Bight, with cliffs that plunge into the ocean.

View of the Great Australian Bight, featuring the expansive blue ocean with waves crashing against the rugged cliffs under a hazy sky.
The Great Australian Bight. What a sight. And perhaps the fastest way to escape a Cheeroonear if you happen to encounter one.

Aboriginal Australian people have lived in the region for tens of thousands of years. Over that time, their stories and culture became deeply intertwined with the land, stories like that of the Cheeroonear.

The Tale of the Cheeroonear

To understand the Cheeroonear, let's put you directly into the story.

Imagine planning a trip to Australia and putting together a little list of places to visit, like Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, the Great Barrier Reef, and a few others, with a stopover at the Nullarbor Plain for a drive through the scenic landscape.

You hit the highway on the Nullarbor Plain in the late afternoon, and a sense of eerie solitude envelops you as you gaze over the endless stretch of barren land. After a short drive, you pull over to take in the details and grab a few selfies. As you exit your vehicle, a shiver runs down your spine at a cool breeze. You grab those selfies and hop back in your vehicle, turn the ignition, and nothing happens. Your vehicle won't start.

You frown, searching the long, straight road, and find yourself completely alone. A quick check of your phone shows no signal. You put down your windows, kick back, and wait for someone to drive by. A yawn hits you, and you blink, frowning at large canine footprints in the dirt. You squeeze your eyes shut for a moment.

You open your eyes to darkness. The muscles in your legs and back are stiff, and you wipe a trickle of drool from your lip. You must have fallen asleep. Around you is the unsettling silence of nighttime in the outback, and above you is a canopy of glittering stars.

A rustling near your car draws your attention. You see only the silhouette of sparse vegetation you spotted during the day. Not wanting the attention of wild animals, you put your windows up and lock the doors. As your window slices off the last breath of fresh air, you feel your seat rumble. Your pulse quickens as you realize the source of the sensation: a low growl just outside.

Whipping around, you spot a towering figure approaching, blacking out the starry sky. Its body is a grotesque, muscular person covered in fur, but its head is like a dog. Eyes glint with a feral luminescence, locking onto yours. It growls a guttural sound that reverberates through you.

A massive paw steps onto the window by your head. You realize then that you're not just a visitor to the Nullarbor Plain. You're part of a story that's been unfolding for centuries.

The Cheeroonear has found you.

One long claw clinks on the glass. Thin lines crackle around the claw, forming a fractured web.

The paw pushes. The window explodes, showering you with shards.

You are dead.

But congratulations, you've just met a Cheeroonear. Unfortunately, you didn't live long enough to tell the tale.

AI-generated depiction of Cheeroonear, a mythical creature from Aboriginal Australian mythology. He is tall and heavily built, with the arms and legs of a man but the face of a dog.
Just imagine stumbling across this while out for a daytime hike.

Cheeroonear are creatures of Aboriginal Australian folklore. They're said to be a dog-faced man, tall and heavy-built, with unnaturally long arms. Some say that a loose bag like that of a pelican hangs from its chin, while other descriptions resemble more of a modern description of a werewolf.

A more human-like AI-generated depiction of Cheeroonear, a mythical creature from Aboriginal Australian mythology. This version of Cheeroonear retains a dog's arms, legs, and general body crossed with a human standing on two legs but with a dog face.
This depiction of a Cheeroonear reminds me of a kobold from EverQuest.

Aboriginal Australian History & Lore

Aboriginal Australian history and lore are fascinating, especially because they've been around for such a long time. It's one of the oldest continuous cultures in the world, stretching back to at least 65,000 years. The culture is incredibly diverse, and before European settlement, there were over 250 languages and 500 different groups across the continent. Each group had its own unique culture, beliefs, and stories, creating a mosaic of interconnected communities.

In their beliefs, there is a term known as The Dreaming or Dreamtime. It represents a worldview, way of life, philosophy, and religion. Within it, you'll find Aboriginal concepts of things like Everywhen. The stories and ideas surrounding these concepts provide an understanding of the world, our place in it, and the nature of reality. The Dreaming stories have been passed down through generations through spoken language, songs, dances, art, and more. They're more than just tales; they're a living part of Aboriginal culture. They teach about the Ancestral Beings who traveled across the land, creating rivers, mountains, plants, and animals.

An intriguing perspective within this is that history isn't just in the past. The Dreaming is timeless, where past, present, and future are all interconnected.

Sadly, as is true with many cultures worldwide, European colonization wiped out languages, destroyed sacred sites, and threatened the very existence of the stories. Recently, there's been a revival and active effort to preserve the languages and traditions. They are a vital part of Australia's heritage and should live on.

Interestingly, Aboriginal Australian folklore isn't the only place you'll find dog-faced humanoids. History is littered with canine-human hybrids worldwide. For example, the Ancient Egyptian god Anubis is depicted with the body of a man and the head of a jackal. In Ancient Greece, the Greek physician Ctesias wrote a report about the existence of cynocephali (dog-faced humans) in India. In the Book of Liang, completed in the year 635, a Buddhist missionary named Hui Shen describes an island he visited that was full of dog-headed men. These examples are just a glimpse into the many legends throughout history.

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