Chapter XX · The Dragon-Slayer and His Rival
Reading edition
The Eight-headed Dragon—Sacrifices of Maidens—How the Dragon was intoxicated and slain—Finding of the Dragon-sword—The Nuptial House—Adventures of Ohonamochi—The Jealous Brothers—Flight of Ohonamochi to Hades—Susa-no-wo as Giant-god of Hades—Princess Forward—Far Eastern Version of Jack-and-the-Beanstalk Story—The Life-sword, Life-bow and arrows, &c.—Ohonamochi’s Conquest of Japan—A Japanese Odin—Another Creation Myth—The Elfin Deity in Bird Skins—A Shining Sea-god.
After Susa-no-wo had been banished from heaven, he descended on Tori-kami, beside the river Hi, in the province of Idzumo. A chopstick came floating down the river, so he knew that people were dwelling near, and he set out to search for them. He soon met an old man and an old woman who were weeping bitterly; between them walked a lovely maiden.
“Who are you?” asked Susa-no-wo.
The old man made answer: “I am a god of earth, son of a mountain god, and my name is Ashi-na-dzu-chi (‘foot-stroker’); this woman is my wife, and her name is Te-na-dzu-chi (‘hand stroker’); the maiden is my daughter Kush-inada-hime (‘Miraculous-rice-field-sun-maiden’).”
“Why do you weep?” asked Susa-no-wo.
Said the old man: “I have had eight daughters, but each year the eight-forked serpent (dragon) of Koshi has come and devoured one after the other. I weep now because the time is at hand to give Kush-inada-hime to the serpent.”
“What is the serpent like?”
“If this maiden is your daughter,” said Susa-no-wo, “will you give her to me?”
“You honour me,” the old man made answer, “but I do not know your name.”
“I am the dear brother of the sun-goddess, and have just descended from heaven.”
“Most obediently do I offer my daughter to you,” the old man said with reverence.
Susa-no-wo then transformed the girl into a comb, which he placed in his hair. Having done this, he bade the old couple to brew rice-beer (sake). They obeyed him, and he asked them to construct a fence with eight gates and eight benches, and to place on each bench a vat filled with the beer.
When Susa-no-wo cut the middle tail his sword broke. He marvelled at this. Taking the point of the sword in his hand, he thrust and split, and looked inside, and found a keen-cutting blade within this tail. He took it out and sent it to his sister, Ama-terâsu, the sun-goddess. This sword is the Kusa-nagi-no-tachi (the “herb-quelling” dragon-sword).
Susa-no-wo afterwards built a house in the land of Idzumo, at a place called Suga. Clouds rose up from that place. He made an ode regarding the eight clouds that formed an eight-fold fence for husband and wife to retire within the house. Then he appointed the maiden’s father to be keeper, or head-man of the house.
Ohonamochi and his eighty brothers desired to marry the Princess of Yakami in Inaba. On their way thither the eighty brothers tricked a hare, which came by a distressing injury, but Ohonamochi caused it to be cured. The grateful hare of Inaba, now called “the Hare Deity”, promised Ohonamochi, who carried the bag as a servant to his brothers, that he would get the princess for wife.
Having thus spoken, the eighty deities kindled a fire, in which they heated a great boulder, shaped like to a boar. They rolled the stone down the mountain-side, and when Ohonamochi seized it he was so grievously burned that he died.
The eighty deities again deceived Ohonamochi. They led him to the mountains. There they cut down a tree, which they split, inserting a wedge in it, and having made him stand in the middle, they took away the wedge, and thus killed him.
Ohonamochi was advised to seek refuge in the Nether-Distant-Land (Hades), where dwelt Susa-no-wo. Princess Forward met him, and they exchanged glances, and were married. She then informed her father, Susa-no-wo, that a very beautiful god had arrived. But Susa-no-wo was angry, and called the youthful deity “Ugly-Male-God-of-Reed-Plain”, and commanded him to sleep in the snake-house. The Princess Forward gave Ohonamochi a snake-scarf, instructing him to wave it thrice when the snakes threatened to bite him. This he did, and was protected. On the next night Susa-no-wo placed the young god in the house of centipedes and wasps, but the princess gave him another scarf that protected him against attack.
Princess Forward lamented for her husband, and Susa-no-wo believed he was dead. But the princess found Ohonamochi, and took him to the house. He returned the arrow to Susa-no-wo. This god had many centipedes in his hair, and bade the youth take them out. Ohonamochi made pretence of doing this, and Susa-no-wo fell asleep.
Susa-no-wo shouted to Ohonamochi, advising him to pursue the eighty half-brothers with the life-sword and life-bow and arrows until they were swept into the river rapids. “Then, wretch,” said he, “become Oho-kuni-nushi (Great Master god of the land), and make Princess Forward thy consort. Set up the temple-pillars at the foot of Mount Uka on foundations of rock and raise the cross-beams to the Plain of High Heaven. Dwell there, you villain.”
Ohonamochi pursued and destroyed the eighty deities. “Then,” the narrative continues, “he began to make the land.”
Here we meet with another Creation myth.
Two children were born to Ohonamochi and Princess Forward; these were Ki-no-mata-no-kami (Tree-fork-deity) and Mi-wi-no-kami (Deity of August Wells).
Like Odin, Ohonamochi woos in the course of his career more than one goddess. One of these, the Princess of Nuna-kaha (Lagoon-river), sings to him:
After Little Prince had for a time assisted to consolidate the land, he crossed over to Toko-yo-no-kuni (the Eternal Land).