Yamatanoorochi
Yamata no Orochi (Japaneseヤマタノオロチ; Kojiki :八 岐 远 吕 智; Nihonshoki :八 岐 大蛇) is a dragon from mythology of Shinto. His name means the translation of Karl Florence According to "Eight gift Lige giant snake ".
After his exile from the Himmelsgefilden ( Takamagahara ) Susanoo descended by tori kami and met after some time by the river on an old Hi, crying couple with a child between them. The old man introduced himself as the son of Ōyamatsumi, Ashinazuchi by name. His wife and the child would mean Tenazuchi Kushinadahime ( in alternative versions of the Nihon Shoki Kushinadahime is not yet born at that time).
When asked about the reason for their sadness told Tenazuchi Susanoo that he had originally eight daughters. But the achtgablige giant snake had come every year and have eaten one of them. Now that the time had come that the snake would come back, they would cry. On Susanoos question of the shape Ashinazuchi answers him: "Her eyes are [ red as ] jujubes and at one body has eight heads and eight tails. Moreover grow on her body moss [( koke ) ] and cypress [( Hinoki ) ] and cryptomerias. Its length extends over eight valleys and eight hills, and if you look at her belly, he is inflamed everywhere resistant bloody (and). "
On the promise Ashinazuchis back to give him his daughter, Susanoo develops a ruse that he can prepare the old couple: He orders them to brew eight- brewed sake, to build a fence with eight gates and tie up at each of the gates eight elevated racks. On each frame then a vessel with the eight- brewed sake is to be made.
After Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi had done so, came the eight bifurcated giant snake, drank with their heads of all vessels and fell immediately afterwards drunk in deep sleep ( in an alternative Nihonshoki version instills Susanoo the snake itself the sake a ). Then Susanoo slew the dragon with his ten hand widths long sword ( a tsurugi ) and colored by the Hi red with blood. When you chop up the middle tail Susanoo sword was reflected jagged and found thereat the Grasmähe sword ( kusanagi -no- tachi, later one of the three throne regalia of Japan).
The fight against Susanoos Yamatanoorochi is an often debated topic of Japanese mythology and is used in many Shinto shrines as an occasion for celebration. Among the many interpretations one, the child's name Kushi (i ) states nadahime is an allusion to rice fields and the Snake River Hi themselves, their conquest by Susanoo therefore be understood as exploitation of wild nature for agricultural purposes. Another, represented by Jean Herbert view Yamatanoorochi holds for the personification of earthly forces, which Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi, two heavenly Kami, can not help themselves because they themselves apply only earthly forces ( this is based on their name, the " foot - caressing age "and" hand - caressing Old " mean in Florence, however, an indication of their physical affection to her child across the street). Also significant in an esoteric sense, the remarkably often occurring number eight, which also appears after this episode in the construction of the Palace of Susanoo again ( in the Kojiki as much as 50 times). The exact significance of this number is controversial and is usually "a lot" as translated. Eight could be a symbol of perfection, infinity, or holiness, for example, or also refer to the cardinal points of the eight trigrams.