A MYTHICAL JOURNEY FROM

JAPAN TO EUROPE

ΠΡΟΤΥΠΟ ΠΕΙΡΑΜΑΤΙΚΟ Γ/ΣΙΟ ΠΑΝ/ΜΙΟΥ ΚΡΗΤΗΣ

Γ’ ΓΥΜΝΑΣΙΟΥ

Japanese mythology is a system of beliefs that is consisted of elements of

“Shintoshu” Sintoistic religion (that is the native religion of Japan and for a time the states

religion) and the Buddhist tradition, as well as the folk religion around the land and

agriculture.

According to the myth Amaterasu had a grandson , Ninigki , who was sended to live on earth, carrying presents ,a mirror, a necklace and the sword of the god Kousanagki Susanna. Ninigki was accepted as ruler of Japan and the divine presents he carried became the treasures of the imperial family. He was married the goddess of Mount Fuji and gave birth to his three sons, one of whom was the father of Jimmy Tenno, the first historical Japanese emperor (660 BC), from whom comes the Japanese imperial family.

One myth says that Tsukuyomi caused the anger of Amaterasou when he killed Ouke Moche, the god of food. Then Amaterasou was raged so much that she moved to another section of the sky and for this reason the day and the night are never together.

One of the oldest myths tells of a long-standing rivalry between Susanoo and his sister Amaterasu. When

Susanoo was about to leave Heaven by orders of his father Izanagi, he went to make an offer to his sister

Amaterasu, but she was suspicious. Susanoo then proposed her a challenge to prove that he tells the truth ,

and she accepted.

Each of the two took an object of the other's and from it birthed gods and goddesses. Amaterasu birthed three

goddesses from Susanoo's sword while Susanoo birthed five men from her necklace. Susanoo claiming that

the gods were hers because they were born of her necklace, and the goddesses were his, he decided that he

has won the challenge, as his item produced women. So Susanoo, the Storm God, became restless and went

to destroy his sister's rice fields and killed one of her attendants. Amaterasu, who was in fury and grief, hid

inside a "heavenly rock cave. Though she was persuaded to leave the cave, Susanoo was punished by being

banished from Heaven. He descended to the province of Izumo.

In Izumo Susano met an elderly couple who told him that seven of their eight daughters had been devoured by

the eight-headed eight-tailed monster dragon Yamata-no-Orochi and it was to eat their eighth daughter,

Kushinada-hime Susano offered to save the remaining daughter because he knew about the old couple's

relation to Amaterasu, in return he asked the beautiful daughter's hand in marriage.

…

…

In Izumo Susano met an elderly couple who told him that seven of their eight daughters had been devoured by

the eight-headed eight-tailed monster dragon Yamata-no-Orochi and it was to eat their eighth daughter,

Kushinada-hime Susano offered to save the remaining daughter because he knew about the old couple's

relation to Amaterasu, in return he asked the beautiful daughter's hand in marriage. The parents accept

then Susanoo transforms Kushinada into a comb and hides her safely in his hair. He also orders a large

fence-like barrier to be built around the house. The fence has eight gates, with eight tables placed at each

gate and eight barrel placed on each table. Each barrel is filled with eight-times-brewed rice wine “ Sake”.

Orochi the dragon beast arrives and finds his path blocked. After some time he finds that he cannot get through

the barrier. Then he smells the sake—which Orochi loves—and the eight heads are now faced with a

problem. They want to drink the delicious sake, yet the fence blocks access to the sake. The heads then

searched for an opening. They find the eight gates, and, eager for the sake, they wish to poke their heads

through to drink it. Yet, the eighth head, which is the wisest, warns the other heads about the folly of such

an act and volunteers to go through first to ensure that all is well. Susanoo waits for his chance. He allows

the head to drink some sake in safety and to report to the others that there is no danger. All eight heads

plunge through the hatches and greedily drink every drop of the sake.

As the heads finish the sake, Susanoo launches his attack on Orochi. Drunken from drinking so much sake, the

great monster is no match for Susanoo who decapitates all the eight heads of Orochi. As Susanoo cuts the

dragon into pieces, he finds an excellent sword from a tail of the dragon that his sword had been unable to

cut. The sword is later presented to Amaterasu and named Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi.

Yōkai (妖怪 ), (literally demon or spirit) are a class of

supernatural spirits in Japanese folklore. The word yōkai

means "otherworldly" and "weird". Yōkai’s are malevolent

or mischievous creatures, that some time bring good

fortune to those who encounter them. Often they possess

animal features, other times they can appear mostly

human. Yōkai usually have a spiritual supernatural power,

with shape shifting as one of the most common.

Yūreis (幽霊) are figures in Japanese folklore, analogous

to Western legends of ghosts. The name consists of two

parts (yū), meaning "faint" or "dim" and (rei), meaning

"soul" or "spirit."

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN JAPANESE AND EUROPEAN MYTHOLOGIES!

Helios was the personification of the Sun

in Greek mythology. Homer often calls

him simply Titan or Hyperion,

while Hesiod and the Homeric

Hymn separate him as a son of the

Titans Hyperion and Theia or Euryphaessa

and brother of the goddesses Selene, the

moon, and Eos, the dawn.

Helios was imagined as a handsome god

crowned with the shining aureole of the Sun,

who drove the chariot of the sun across the sky

each day to earth-circling Oceanus and through

the world-ocean returned to the East at night. As

time passed, Helios was increasingly identified

with the god of light, Apollo. However, in spite

of their syncretism, they were also often viewed

as two distinct gods. Helios was a Titan, whereas

Apollo was an Olympian.

Selene was the goddess of the moon in

Greek mythology. She was depicted as

a woman either riding side saddle on a

horse or in a chariot drawn by a pair

of winged steeds. Her lunar sphere or

crescent was represented as either a

crown set upon her head or as the fold

of a raised, shining cloak. Sometimes

she was said to drive a team of oxen

and her lunar crescent was likened to

the horns of a bull.

Selene's great love was the

shepherd prince Endymion. The

beautiful boy was granted

eternal youth and immortality

by Zeus and placed in a state of

eternal slumber in a cave near

the peak of Lydian Mount

Latmos. There his heavenly

bride descended to consort with

him in the night.

Kabouter

Kabouter is the Dutch/Afrikaans word

for gnome or leprechaun. In folklore, the Dutch

Kabouters are akin to the Irish Leprechaun,

Scandinavian Tomte, the English Hob or Brownie and

the German Klabauter or kobold. The

term kabouter was also adopted by a

1970s hippie movement in Amsterdam that sprang

from the Provo movement. One of its best known

representatives is Roel van Duijn.

In the folklore of the Low Countries, kabouters are

tiny men who live underground or in mushrooms, or

spirits who help in the home. The males have long,

full beards (unlike dwarves, who do not always have

full beards [citation needed]) and wear tall, pointed

red hats. They are generally shy of humans.

Merlin

Merlin is a legendary figure best

known as the wizard featured in

the Arthurian legend. The standard

depiction of the character first

appears in Geoffrey of

Monmouth's Historia Regum

Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is

based on an amalgamation of

previous historical and legendary

figures. Geoffrey combined existing

stories of Myrddin Wyllt (Merlinus

Caledonensis), a North

Brythonic prophet and madman wit

h no connection to King Arthur, with

tales of the Romano-British war

leader Ambrosius Aurelianus to

form the composite figure he

called Merlin

Ambrosius (Welsh: Myrddin

Emrys).

Samurai warriors described themselves as followers of "The Way of the Warrior" or Bushido. Bushido is defined by the Japanese dictionary Shogakukan Kokugo Daijiten as "a unique philosophy (ronri) that spread through the warrior class from the Muromachi (chusei) period. From the earliest times, the Samurai felt that the path of the warrior was one of honor, emphasizing duty to one's master, and loyalty unto death.

The word samurai is derived from the Japanese verb samoro or sampouro and was first used to describe the personal servants of the rich and powerful landowners of the eighth century in Japan.

Japan, like China in ancient times, has shown great expertise in traditional gunsmith. It is indeed astonishing inventiveness in the construction and use of specialized weapons of non-being, as it is known that the subsoil of the Japanese islands is very low in minerals, so that-even today-that the country depends on imported raw materials. Undoubtedly, the most impressive weapon is the sword Catania. It is not just a weapon, but the soul of a warrior. The more beautiful it is, the more sharp and the blade

The key element for samurai costume was the kimono, which for men normally consisted of an outer and an inner garment. Heavier kimonos were worn in winter, while lighter, made of silk, for example, were worn in summer. In fact there was a moment where winter kimonos were changing with the corresponding summer. The kimono was a samurai normally made of silk, a material that is superior to cotton and hemp not just for the feel and appearance, but also the relative coolness offered by the hot Japanese summer.

A hoplite typically had a bronze, muscled breastplate,

a helmet with cheek plates, as well as greaves and

other shin armor. They carried a bowl-shaped wood

and bronze shield called an aspis or hoplon, . It was

very heavy and protected the warrior from chin to

knee.. "Come home with this shield or upon it" was a

there motto. Meanings, if you can’t come home

victorious, then come home dead.

Their primary weapon was a spear around 2.7 meters in length called a dory.

The dory had a leaf shaped spearhead on the business end and a spike on the

other. The spike, called a “lizard killer” could be used to stand the spear up

by planting it in the ground or it can be used to finish off fallen enemies that

the formation is moving over. Additionally, if the spearhead broke off the

spear could then be spun around and the spike used in its place.

Another secondary weapon available was the kopis, a short sword with a

heavy curved blade that could be used for hacking away at enemies.

Although it had a point that could be used for stabbing the weapon was

designed to be used almost like a hatchet. In the art of Sparta’s arch rival,

Athens, Spartan warriors are often depicted using the kopis.

THE END