Week 7: Reading A

 The Miraculous Mirror

This story is about my new favorite mythological figure: Amaterasu. I'm doing my storybook project over Amaterasu, so I've read a lot of stories about her recently. I've read about the time that Amaterasu hid in a cave, causing darkness and chaos over the land, but the story was told differently. In this version, Amaterasu is frightened by her stormy brother Susanoo (Susa-no-wo), which is why she fled to the cave. However, in other versions I read, Susanoo killed one of her handmaidens, and she fled in grief. 

- Amaterasu sits at her loom, spinning the fates of men with her seven handmaidens

- Susanoo rushes down from heaven and frightens his sister

- she flees and hides herself in a cave, leaving the world in "Stygian gloom"

    - I was pretty sure that the word "Stygian" was a reference to Greek mythology, and I was right! I     looked it up, and this additive is referring to the River Styx in Hades. Whoever translated this particular story must be a big mythology fan. 

- the people try in vain to get her to come out, and finally the goddess of Laughter helps out

- they fashion a big mirror and the goddess of Laughter starts dancing and laughing right outside the cave

- Amaterasu wakes up and looks out of the cave to hear what all the commotion is about

- she sees herself in the mirror and thinks it's a rival goddess, so she comes out of the cave

- the strongest god rolls a big stone over the mouth of the cave to prevent her from going back in

"Origin of Music and Dance at the Rock Door" signed by Shusanai Toshimasa. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amaterasu_cave.JPG

Bibliography:  "The Miraculous Mirror,"  Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E. W. Champney and F. Champney (1917).