This sun goddess was the chief deity of the Shinto pantheon. In the Nihongi she is the daughter of both Izanagi and Izanami but in the Kojiki she springs from Izanagi’s left eye. During one of the conflicts with her brother Susanowo the storm god she withdrew to a cave in protest of the storm god’s incessant belligerence. Susanowo had been overstepping his bounds by Continue reading
Tag Archives: Shinto myths
SHINTO DEITY: AMATERASU
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SHINTO DEITY: KUYEBIKO
Kuyebiko was the Shinto scarecrow god. Originally he functioned as the protector of the rice fields, a task assigned him by his father Inari the rice god. He was considered to be incarnate in all scarecrows and eventually came to be considered as a divinitory deity who knew everything that transpired under the heavens.
The leap from being the god of scarecrows to divinitory deity came about because of Continue reading
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SHINTO DEITY: KOTOHIRA
For other Shinto deities I’ve covered here at Balladeer’s Blog click here: http://www.makethelist.net/the-top-10-deities-in-shinto-mythology/
KOTOHIRA – The god of the Inland Sea, the location of which is indicated on the map to your right. (the rough translation of the words above the arrow would be “Here’s the Inland Sea … assholes”. ) This deity guarded over the entire Inland Sea and commanded Continue reading
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MYTHOLOGY – THE EGYPTIAN GOD BES
"If Danny DeVito was an Egyptian god"
BES – This diminutive Egyptian god presents a perfect opportunity for me to point out how the concepts that a deity is supposedly the patron of can change over time. During his centuries- long period of worship Bes was at various times considered a lion god (his oddly shaped hairdo/beard combo is meant to be reminiscent of a lion’s mane), a patron of art and music, a protector of women in childbirth, a god who could cure infertility and a household god. In that last mentioned role Bes not only looked after children and their mothers, but he would safeguard the household by driving off evil spirits and by strangling potential dangers like snakes, lions and bears. (Oh my!) Because of his short stature and the fact that he was often depicted sporting an enormous erection he was sometimes called “the Egyptian Pan”, but given his benevolent and constructive nature I would say he has more in common with the dwarfish Shinto deity Sukuna-Biko, the friend of Okuninushi. Bes wore a loincloth made of lionskin with the lion’s tail hanging down behind him (though originally he was presented as Continue reading
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SHINTO DEITY OF THE DAY – OKUNINUSHI
The latest deity of the day here at Balladeer’s Blog will be Okuninushi. For my larger entry on Shinto gods and goddesses click here: http://www.makethelist.net/the-top-10-deities-in-shinto-mythology/
OKUNINUSHI – The Shinto god of medicine who eventually became the ruler of the Izumo area of Japan. Okuninushi lived in Izumo, which was under the control of the extended family of deities of the exiled storm god Susanowo. The turning point in the medicine god’s life came when he used his healing powers to cure a rabbit that his brothers had cruelly abused. The healed rabbit transformed into his true form as the Continue reading
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TODAY’S SHINTO DEITY – OMITSUNO
A while back I wrote an item on Shinto deities. Some e-mailers have wanted me to add more of them to my “deity of the day” feature, so here we go! For my initial bit on Shinto gods and goddesses click here: http://www.makethelist.net/the-top-10-deities-in-shinto-mythology/
OMITSUNO – The god who ruled over the western land near Izumo. This area was where all the deities in the Shinto pantheon would gather once a year for the Assembly of the Gods, during which they would Continue reading
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