Reading Notes: Part A for Week 7: Japanese Mythology - The Miraculous Mirror
For this reading section, I was most interested in the story of The Miraculous Mirror. This story explores the rivalry between brother and sister, and illustrates the inner feelings of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess.
The story begins with Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, sitting at her loom high in the heavens. All was peaceful and quiet, for Amaterasu was weaving with her hand-maidens in the midst of the night.
Suddenly, her brother, Susa-no-wo, the Dragon of Hell, hurtled down towards Amaterasu in the Hall of the Gods with a crash of thunder. Frightened by her brother, Amaterasu fled from the heavens and down to earth. She took shelter in a dark cavern by the sea, safe from the rage of her ill-tempered brother.
However, when Amaterasu fled from the heavens, she took the light of the Sun with her, casting the Isles of the Dragon-fly on Earth into darkness and gloom. The people of the Isles mourned the loss of the light and sought her return. They prayed for the light to return, and fashioned a mirror of gold that was a spectacle to behold.
So, Uzume, the Goddess of Laughter, plotted to rouse Amaterasu from her sanctuary of the cave. Dancing in the moonlight, Uzume peaked Amaterasu's curiosity, causing her to peer forth from her cave. Amaterasu inquires what the cause was for such celebration. So, Uzume tells Amaterasu that there exists a princess more fair than the ocean and the sun.
Uzume presents Amaterasu with the mirror of gold, upon which she looks and is met with the sight of her own beautiful reflection. Boiling with jealousy, she sought to find her rival and emerged from the sanctuary of her cave.
Upon her exit of the cave, Taji-Karaô (the Strong) rolled a boulder over the entrance, preventing Amaterasu's retreat from the world. So, the light returned, shining on land and sea.
This story illustrates the feuding nature that exists between siblings, and it further extends that nature to the gods. Amaterasu also demonstrates human-like emotions of fear and jealousy, suggesting that humans and gods are more common than one might initially think. Her power of the sun is also inferred from the story, as her very absence from the heavens cast the world into a gloomy darkness.
Bibliography: The Miraculous Mirror from Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E.W. Champney and F. Champney (1917)
The story begins with Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, sitting at her loom high in the heavens. All was peaceful and quiet, for Amaterasu was weaving with her hand-maidens in the midst of the night.
Suddenly, her brother, Susa-no-wo, the Dragon of Hell, hurtled down towards Amaterasu in the Hall of the Gods with a crash of thunder. Frightened by her brother, Amaterasu fled from the heavens and down to earth. She took shelter in a dark cavern by the sea, safe from the rage of her ill-tempered brother.
However, when Amaterasu fled from the heavens, she took the light of the Sun with her, casting the Isles of the Dragon-fly on Earth into darkness and gloom. The people of the Isles mourned the loss of the light and sought her return. They prayed for the light to return, and fashioned a mirror of gold that was a spectacle to behold.
So, Uzume, the Goddess of Laughter, plotted to rouse Amaterasu from her sanctuary of the cave. Dancing in the moonlight, Uzume peaked Amaterasu's curiosity, causing her to peer forth from her cave. Amaterasu inquires what the cause was for such celebration. So, Uzume tells Amaterasu that there exists a princess more fair than the ocean and the sun.
Uzume presents Amaterasu with the mirror of gold, upon which she looks and is met with the sight of her own beautiful reflection. Boiling with jealousy, she sought to find her rival and emerged from the sanctuary of her cave.
Upon her exit of the cave, Taji-Karaô (the Strong) rolled a boulder over the entrance, preventing Amaterasu's retreat from the world. So, the light returned, shining on land and sea.
This story illustrates the feuding nature that exists between siblings, and it further extends that nature to the gods. Amaterasu also demonstrates human-like emotions of fear and jealousy, suggesting that humans and gods are more common than one might initially think. Her power of the sun is also inferred from the story, as her very absence from the heavens cast the world into a gloomy darkness.
Amaterasu Emerging From Her Cave - Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Bibliography: The Miraculous Mirror from Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E.W. Champney and F. Champney (1917)
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