Description

What is today generally called as the Ainu literature is the "yukara" itself. It is told either in verse or prosaic form. There are two types of "yukara": "Gods yukara" and "Human yukara". The former can be further divided into two categories: "Kamuy-yukara", or epics in which natural beings such as animals, plants, solid materials and nature phenomena tell about their experiences or doings; and "oyna", or epics in which "human" gods or personified gods tell of their experiences. Since this translation deals with the "Gods yukara", further details of it are given hereunder.