ArenaNet:International cultural references/Australia

Prawns NOT Shrimp
Any reference to Australia is always welcome, BUT PLZ ANET HEAR ME OUT ! if i read a character yell out "Throw another SHRIMP on the barby" i will cry... THEY ARE PRAWNS not shrimp. :D As we know EVERYONE (yes even you) love Australia, maybe a nod to the late Steve Irwin ? Oooh ooh oh, i know, have him a character somewhere, and have as a ranger with a pet Crocodile :D Crazy 03:41, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
 * See Turimachus and The Dragon Hunter. -- Gordon Ecker 03:59, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
 * I can see the resemblance - but they didn't lay it on quite thick enough. No "Crikey!" for instance. :)  Personally I think all visitors to Australia need to look out for the Drop Bear. --Aspectacle 04:10, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
 * I must agree with you mate, Drop Bears are dangerous.. Keep A Look Out ! (oh oops, i never signed this, signing now) Crazy 08:00, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

Various References
--Aspectacle 04:48, 27 November 2007 (UTC)
 * Waltzing Matilda thick with inpenitrable Australian slang - a very famous folk song.
 * Vegemite spread in 4 strengths; a tiny amount, a little, makes you choke unless you've had years of training on strengths 1 & 2, and none.
 * Robert Muldoon an ex-prime minister of New Zealand once said "New Zealanders who emigrate to Australia raise the IQ of both countries."
 * Ned Kelly is a bit of an infamous folk hero from the 1800's. Part of the Ned Kelly Gang who performed several robberies and other illegal activities until caught.   Often pictured in the makeshift metal armour in which he last faced the police - with a helmet essentially a tincan with a slit cut for the eyes.  It is reported his last words were 'Such is life';
 * :) yeah i like the idea of ned kelly, maybe even an Event can have Ned's Helmet (named like a green but just normal event hat) or even, and event with Ned Shelly (yes i know, im not good with names, you make up something more creative) who's character model has a helmet on like Ned Kellys one (and actually alot like the Black Knights out of Monty Pythons Holy Grail.. IIRC) Crazy 08:02, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

Tasmanian Devil
While the cartoon character came out of the US, the Tazmanian Devil could make a good reference Dementia 17:55, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

Aboriginals
This is my first time here so sorry for not having a name, but I can't really see why no one has mentioned the Indigenous culture of Australia, or does that not count? After all, it is one of the oldest cultures in the world. There may not be enough famous heros to speak of but that may be an indication of the value placed on that culture in Australia. Anyway, I am not Australian so how about some of you Aussies fill us in.
 * Well I don't know a lot about Aboriginal culture. They have a spirituality based around a concept known as the dream time. From Wikipedia Aboriginals believe in two forms of time. Two parallel streams of activity. One is the daily objective activity ... The other is an infinite spiritual cycle called the "dream time," more real than reality itself. Whatever happens in the dreamtime establishes the values, symbols, and laws of Aboriginal society. Some people of unusual spiritual powers have contact with the dream time. The concept of the dream time is tied in with a lot of their creation stories similair to ancient cultures relations stories. The feature things like the rainbow (I think) snake which is a massive creature and when it moves its size creates the grooves in the earth to form mountains and rivers. This is similair to Norse creation stories and many others from ancient cultures.


 * Most people have heard of the boomerang from Zelda, which is an Aboriginal invention I believe. Another iconic item of the Aboriginals is the didgeridoo... a long hollow wooden instrument with a distinct sound. Aside from that I know the Aboriginal culture are good at managing the land. By intentionally burning off the grass and trees in the bushland of Australia they allow for new growth to occur (many plant species in Australia, especially eucalypt, require intense heat from these fires to germinate). Another thing I forgot is Aboriginals across Australia are divided into tribes, (the ones that still live traditionally). Most Aboriginals take on a totem animal to represent them, kind of like the Luxons with the turtle and crab etc. 122.104.167.139 00:39, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

It was only the light boomerang (the small one which returns, which was mainly used as a toy/training device) that was unique to Indigenous Australians. Also, ANet could run into trouble if they base any characters on any Historical Aboriginal Personalities, as it is still considered highly taboo in some families to use the name or image of deceased persons. Furthermore, some families used the term "Rainbow Serpent" which coincides nicely with GW's "Chromatic Drake". Apart from these small caveats, I will confirm the information in 122.104.167.139's post. Draque Azure 18:33, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

Drop Bear
In Australia we have this kind of folk tale we tell to visitors from around the world. It's about a creature called the "drop bear". A fearsome beast that likes to hide up in trees until unwary travellers pass by, when they do it drops down on them and attacks. The drop bear has been described in many ways, from the animal on our 5 cent piece the echidna, to a koala bear to some kind of megafauna. Drop Bears in guild wars, or some hyped up story about them would be awesome. 122.104.167.139 00:28, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

Bundaberg Rum Polar Bear
Probably the most loved Rum in Australia is Bundaberg Rum. It is made in a town called Bundaberg and has a talking polar bear as its mascot. In television commercials the Bear is seen as a sort of wing man, helping guys in bars to impress women through various means. 122.104.167.139 00:28, 14 July 2008 (UTC)