Aboriginal dreamtime- how did the echidna get its spikes?
In one Aboriginal dreamtime story, the echidna-man attacked the
lubra (wife) of another man. The tribe turned on him, attacking him
with spears, and he was driven out of camp with numerous spears
sticking out of his back. He crawled away into a cave to nurse his
wounds, and eventually emerged as an echidna, with spines sticking
out of him.