<journal article>
Slaying the Serpent : Comparative Mythological Perspectives on Susanoo’s Dragon Fight
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Abstract | In the “Slaying of the Great Eight-Headed Serpent,” one of the most iconographic episodes in Japanese myth, the god Susanoo rescues a maiden from a dragon and marries her. Comparing the Japanese narra...tive with international dragon-slayer tales, this essay draws attention to the dragon’s close connection to water and iron. It argues that myths have to be adapted to new circumstances in order to remain relevant to the group that transmits them. In the myth of Susanoo’s dragon fight, as related in the ancient chronicles Kojiki and Nihon shoki, these repeated adaptations are still visible as various layers of meaning. The essay illuminates some of these layers and connects them to cultural techniques such as wet-rice cultivation or metallurgy. This approach makes it possible to trace the evolution of the myth, which found its culmination in the written versions of the early eighth century.show more |
Table of Contents | Introduction The Myth of the Dragon Fight The Dragon’s Connection to Water Perseus and Andromeda Releasing the Waters The Dragon’s Connection to Metal The Yamata no Orochi Myth and its Connection to Metallurgy Metallurgy in Izumo: Evidence from the Izumo Fudoki Archaeological Evidence Conclusion |
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Created Date | 2018.04.24 |
Modified Date | 2024.05.01 |