THE LAND OF HADES
Thereupon His
Augustuess the Male-Who-Invites, wishing to meet and see his
younger sister Her Augustness the FemaleWho-Invites, followed
after her to the Land of Hades. So when from the palace she
raised the door and came out to meet him, His Augustness the
Male-Who-Invites spoke, saying: "Thine Augustness, my lovely
younger sister! the lands that I and thou made are not yet
finished making; so come back! " Then Her Augustness the
Female-Who-Invites answered, saying: " Lamentable indeed that
thou camest not sooner! I have eaten of the furnace of Hades.
Nevertheless, as I reverence the entry here of Thine Augustness,
my lovely elder brother, I wish to return. Moreover, I will
discuss it particularly with the deities of Hades. Look not at
me!" Having thus spoken, she went back inside the palace; and as
she tarried there very long, he could not wait. So having taken
and broken off one of the end-teeth of the multitudinous and
close-toothed comb stuck in the august left bunch of his hair,
he lit one light and went in and looked. Maggots were swarming,
and she was rotting, and in her head dwelt the Great-Thunder, in
her breast dwelt the Fire-Thunder, in her left hand dwelt the
Young-Thunder, in her right hand dwelt the Earth-Thunder, in her
left foot dwelt the Rumbling-Thunder, in her right foot dwelt
the Couchant-Thunder -- altogether eight Thunder-deities had
been born and dwelt there. Hereupon His Augustness the
Male-Who-Invites, overawed at the sight, fled back, whereupon
his younger sister, "Her Augustness the Female-Who-Invites,
said: "Thou hast put me to shame," and at once sent the
Ugly-Female-of-Hades to pursue him. So His Augustness the
Male-Who-Invites took his black august head-dress and cast it
down, and it instantly turned into grapes. While she picked them
up and ate them, he fled on; but as she still pursued him, he
took and broke the multitudinous and close-toothed comb in the
right bunch of his hair and cast it down, and it instantly
turned into bamboo-sprouts. While she pulled them up and ate
them, he fled on. Again, later, his younger sister sent the
eight Thunder-deities with a thousand and five hundred warriors
of Hades to pursue him. So he, drawing the ten-grasp saber that
was augustly girded on him, fled forward brandishing it in his
back hand;" and as they still pursued, he took, on reaching the
base of the Even-Pass-of-Hades, three peaches that were growing
at its base, and waited and smote his pursuers therewith, so
that they all fled back. Then His Augustness the
Male-Who-Invites announced to the peaches: "Like as ye have
helped me, so must ye help all living people in the Central Land
of Reed-Plains when they shall fall into troublous circumstances
and be harassed! "- and he gave to the peaches the designation
of Their Augustnesses Great-Divine-Fruit. Last of all, his
younger sister, Her Augustness the Princess-Who-Invites, came
out herself in pursuit. So he drew a thousand-draught rock, and
with it blocked up the Even-Pass-of-Hades, and placed the rock
in the middle; and they stood opposite to one another and
exchanged leave-takings ; and Her Augustness the
Female-Who-Invites said: "My lovely elder brother, thine
Augustness! If thou do like this, I will in one day strangle to
death a thousand of the folk of thy land." Then His Augustness
the Male-Who-Invites replied: "My lovely younger sister, Thine
Augu stness! If thou do this, I will in one day set up a
thousand and five hundred parturition-house. In this manner each
day a thousand people would surely be born." So Her Augustness
the Female-Who-Invites is called the Great-Deity-of-Hades. Again
it is said that, owing to her having pursued and reached her
elder brother, she is called the Road-Reaching-Great deity."'
Again, the rock with which he blocked up the Even-Pass-of-Hades
is called the Great-Deity-of-the-Road-Turning-back, and again it
is called the Blocking-Great-Deity-of-the-Door-of-Hades. So what
was called the Even-Pass-of-Hades is now called the Ifuya-Pass
in the Land of Idzumo.
THE PURIFICATION
OF THE AUGUST PERSON
Therefore the
great deity the Male-Who-Invites said: "Nay! hideous! I have
come to a hideous and polluted land - I have! So I will perform
the purification of my august person." So he went out to a plain
covered with altagi, at a small river-mouth near Tachibana in
Himuka in the island of Tsukushi, and purified and cleansed
himself. So the name of the deity that was born from the august
staff which he threw down was the deity
Thrust-Erect-Come-Not-Place. The name of the deity that was born
from the august girdle which he next threw down was the deity
Road-Long-Space. The name of the deity that was born from the
august skirt which he next threw down was the deity Loosen-Put.
The name of the deity that was born from the august upper
garment which he next threw down was the deity
Master-of-Trouble. The name of the deity that was born from the
august trousers which be next threw down was the Road-Fork
deity. The name of the deity that was born from the august hat
which he next threw down was the deity Master-of-the-Open-Mouth.
The names of the deities that were born from the bracelet of his
august left hand which he next threw down were the deity
Offing-Distant, next, the deity Wash-Prince-of-the-Offing; next,
the deity Intermediate-Direction-of-the-offing. The names of the
deities that were born from the bracelet of his august right
hand which he next threw down were: the deity Shore-Distant;
next, the deity Wash-Prince-of-the-Shore; next, the deity
Intermediate-Direction-of-the-Shore.
The twelve deities
mentioned in the foregoing list from the deity Come-Not-Place
down to the deity Intermediate-Direction-of-the-Shore are
deities that were born from his taking off the things that were
on his person.
Thereupon saying:
"The water in the upper reach is too rapid; the water in the
lower reach is too sluggish," he went down and plunged in the
middle reach; and, as he washed, there was first born the
Wondrous-Deity-of-Eighty-Evils, and next the
Wondrous-Deity-of-Great-Evils. These two deities are the deities
that were born from the filth he contracted when he went to that
polluted, hideous land. The names of the deities that were next
born to rectify those evils were: the Divine-Rectifying-Wondrous
deity; next, the Great-Rectifying-Wondrous deity; next, the
Female-Deity-Idzu. The names of the deities that were next born
as be bathed at the bottom of the water were: the deity
Possessor-of-the-Ocean-Bottom and, next, His Augustness
Elder-Male-of-the-Bottom. The names of the deities that were
born as he bathed in the middle of the water were: the deity
Possessor-of-the-Ocean-Middle and, next, His Augustness
Elder-Male-of-the-Middle. The names of the deities that were
born as lie bathed at the top of the water were the deity
Possessor-of-the-Ocean-Surface and, next, His Augustness
Elder--Male-of-the-Surface. These three Ocean-Possessing deities
are the deities held in reverence as their ancestral-deities by
the Chiefs of Adzumi. So the Chiefs of Adzumi are the
descendants of His Augustness Utsushi-hi-gana-saku, a child of
these Ocean-possessing deities. These three deities His
Augustness Elder-Male-of-the-Bottom, His Augustness
Elder-Male-of-the-Middle, and His Augustness
Elder-Male-of-the-Surface are the three great deities of the
Inlet of Sumi. The name of the deity that was born as he
thereupon washed his left august eye was the
Heaven-Shining-Great-August deity. The name of the deity that
was next born as he washed his right august eye was His
Augustness Moon-Night-Possessor. The name of the deity that was
next born as he washed his august nose was His
Brave-Swift-Impetuous-Male-Augustness.
The fourteen
deities in the foregoing list from the
Wondrous-Deity-of-Eighty-Evils down to His
Swift-Impetuous-Male-Augustness are deities born from the
bathing of his august person. |