My name is Izanami. In the Shinto tradition of Japan, I created the ground that people walk on. And when you're on islands surrounded by water, that means a lot.
First, in the high plain of heaven, several gods were created: Izanagi, and me. Izanagi and I went down a bridge from heaven to the edge of the water and poked at it with a spear, making a little dry spot. We then made a large pillar. We walked around it several times. [Sometimes this story gets sexist because I speak first and this upsets the balance of nature. Just keep reading though, and you will see that women are very important in this tradition.] Then I noticed that his body, while perfectly formed, had an extra piece sticking out. Then he noticed that my body, while perfectly formed, had a little piece missing. As we decided what to do with our discovery, we made love. Because of this act of ours, the sea quaked and islands began to rise up out of the water. Today, that place is called Japan.
After quite some time, we had created an archipelago and also a few more gods. The moon god came out of me, then my thug son Susa-no-O (the storm god). But when I tried to give birth to the fire god, it really hurt. Ouch! I was so burned, I died.
Izanami was upset and went down into the underworld to talk to me. This story is similar to the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. He wasn't supposed to look back at me but he did. Demons chased up above ground and he put a big rock in the opening to the underworld.
First, in the high plain of heaven, several gods were created: Izanagi, and me. Izanagi and I went down a bridge from heaven to the edge of the water and poked at it with a spear, making a little dry spot. We then made a large pillar. We walked around it several times. [Sometimes this story gets sexist because I speak first and this upsets the balance of nature. Just keep reading though, and you will see that women are very important in this tradition.] Then I noticed that his body, while perfectly formed, had an extra piece sticking out. Then he noticed that my body, while perfectly formed, had a little piece missing. As we decided what to do with our discovery, we made love. Because of this act of ours, the sea quaked and islands began to rise up out of the water. Today, that place is called Japan.
After quite some time, we had created an archipelago and also a few more gods. The moon god came out of me, then my thug son Susa-no-O (the storm god). But when I tried to give birth to the fire god, it really hurt. Ouch! I was so burned, I died.
Izanami was upset and went down into the underworld to talk to me. This story is similar to the Orpheus and Eurydice myth. He wasn't supposed to look back at me but he did. Demons chased up above ground and he put a big rock in the opening to the underworld.
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