Japanese Mythology

The Story of Izanagi and Izanami: A Japanese Creation Myth

https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/IzanagiandIzunami

In Japanese mythology, Izanagi and Izanami were a divine couple, brother and
sister, who had a principle role in creating the islands of Japan and from whom
many important and elemental kami (gods) had their birth. Their story is told in the
8th century CE Japanese compendium of mythology, the Kojiki.

The Birth of Izanami and Izanagi

Before the formation of the world, when the land was formless like a jellyfish, the
first deities came into being at Takamagahara, the High Plain of Heaven.

Beginning with three primal kami: Amenominakanushi, Takamimusubi and

Kamimusubi, seven successive generations of gods and goddesses came into being,
the seventh generation consisting of the male kami Izanagi (he who invites) and the
female kami Izanami (she who invites).

Ama no Nuboko The Jewelled Spear

The older generations of kami assigned Izanagi and Izanami the task of bringing
order and structure to the shapeless chaos that was the world. To help them to
accomplish this, the couple were given the jewelled spear called Ama no Nuboko.

From the Heavenly Floating Bridge, Izanagi and Izanami peered down at the
inchoate mass below, not knowing how to begin the work of creation. Finally, they
tried stirring the chaos with the point of the spear. As the spear was lifted back up,
a drop fell from it, creating the island of Onogoro. Izanagi and Izanami decided to
make their home there and built a palace called the Eight Measure Palace. In the
very centre of the palace stood a pillar, the Heavenly August Pillar.

Hiruko the Unfortunate Leech Child

Established in their new home, Izanami and Izanagi decided it was time to start a family. They circled the Heavenly
August Pillar, Izanagi turning to the left while Izanami moved to the right, so they met each other coming round. In
spontaneous delight, Izanami exclaimed, “What a fine young man!” “What a fine young woman!” said Izanagi in
response. He then complained that Izanami should have left it to him to take the initiative.

Uncertain of what to do next, the couple received some advice from two helpful wagtails. In due course, Izanami gave
birth to a son, Hiruko, but the child was without limbs and boneless - a leech child. The baby was placed on a boat made
of reeds and abandoned to float away to his melancholy fate. Izanami and Izanagi tried a second time, but, once again,
their offspring was unsatisfactory.

The Creation of the Islands of Japan

Crestfallen, Izanami and Izanagi returned to Heaven to ask the elder kami where they had gone wrong. The gods
confirmed Izanagi’s suspicion that Izanami had done wrong in greeting her husband first. It was unnatural for the female
partner to take the initiative, which was why their offspring had been misshapen. With this in mind, the couple returned
to their palace to try again. This time, when they circled the pillar, Izanagi greeted his wife first, and she responded
appropriately.
Soon after, Izanami gave birth successively to the islands of Awaji, Shikoku, Oki Kyushu and Tsushima. Last of all, she
delivered the largest island, Honshu. The couple gave the land they had brought into being the name of Oyashimakumi,
meaning the Land of Eight Great Islands. Following this, Izanami brought forth the smaller outlying islands.

The Birth of Kagutsuchi the Fire Kami and the Death of Izanami
Having given birth to the land, Izanami began to give birth to the kami that would give it shape. In turn, she brought
forth the kami of the sea, of the wind, of trees and mountains and other natural manifestations. In giving birth to the
kami of fire, Kagutsuchi, she was burned to death, despite her husband’s attempts to save her. As Izanami died, further
kami were born from her body. Death and sorrow had also entered the world.

Grief-stricken, Izanagi wept and from his tears emanated further kami. Enraged, he cut off the head of Kagutsuchi,
whose birth had killed his wife. Further offspring were born from his bloody sword.

Izanagi's Journey to Yomi, the House of the Dead

After grieving for Izanami for a long time, Izanagi became determined to bring her back and set off for Yomi, the Land of
the Dead. Eventually, after a long and perilous journey, Izanagi came to a great mansion guarded at the front by
fearsome demons. Creeping in through a back entrance, Izanagi found his wife, and there was a joyful reunion. Izanagi
begged Izanami to return to the world with him, but she sadly replied that this was not possible as she had taken food
while in Yomi. At Izanagi’s entreaty, however, she agreed to go and ask the resident kami if she could possibly go back
with him.

Before she went, Izanami asked her husband to promise not to go right inside the mansion. He agreed, but after a whole
day had passed and she did not return, Izanami could wait no longer and went inside the mansion, looking for her, using
a tooth of his comb as a torch.

Wandering within the mansion by the frail light of his torch, Izanagi was horrified to come across the body of his wife,
now apparent as just a rotten decaying corpse to which a number of recently born thunder-kami were still attached. In
revulsion and terror, Izanagi turned to flee, pursued by the spurned corpse of his wife, the thunder kami along with
many warriors, and the hag of the House of the Dead.

After fighting off his pursuers, Izanagi managed to imprison Izanami in the House of the Dead by rolling up a huge rock to
block the way. The entrance to Yomi, covered by the rock, is said to be Ifuya Pass, at Izumo. Thenceforth, Izanami
became known as Yomotsu-o-kami, Goddess of the Dead.
Pangu and the Chinese Creation Story
https://www.ancient-origins.net/human-origins-folklore/pangu-and-chinese-creation-myth-00347

Pangu is a prominent figure in Chinese creation mythology. To this day, the Zhuang people sing a traditional song about
Pangu creating the Heaven and Earth. The origin of the Pangu myth has been much debated. Many believe it originated
with Xu Zheng, a Chinese author from the 3 rd century AD, as he was the first writer known to record it; some propose
that it originated in the mythologies of the Miao or Yao people of southern China, while others see a parallel to ancient
Hindu mythology of creation.

The Pangu myth follows as thus: In the beginning the universe was nothing but chaos, and the heavens and the earth
were intermingled—a big black egg being commonly used as an analogy. Pangu was born inside of this egg and slept for
18,000 years, during which time the Yin and Yang balanced as he grew. When he awoke, he realized he was trapped
within it. He cracked the egg and began to push it apart, essentially splitting the Yin and Yang. The upper half of the shell
became the sky above him, and the lower half became the earth. The longer he held them apart, the thicker they grew
and the taller he became, thus pushing them further apart—by precisely 10 feet per day. Here versions begin to change.
Some claim that a turtle, a qilin, phoenix, and a dragon assisted him in this task. After another 18,000 years Pangu died,
his body forming the various parts of the earth, and the parasites on his body forming humans. Another version states
that he formed the earth with a chisel and hammer, while yet another version states that a goddess who later inhabited
the earth formed humans.

According to this myth, Pangu was the first supreme being and
the originator of the heavens and the Earth. He is typically
depicted as a dwarf—though he was actually a giant—covered
in hair or bearskin or leaves, with horns fixed atop his head and
either a chisel or a hammer or an egg in his hand. Other tales
speak of a Pangu as a creature from heaven that had the head
of a dog and the body of a man and directly accredits Pangu as
the father of mankind, while another version claims he molded
men from clay.

The interesting aspects of this tale are its similarities to other

myths. For example, the cosmic egg is a common concept that is indicative of the universe before the Big Bang occurred,
scientifically speaking. While this may, at first glance, be a very primitive way of describing such an event, one cannot
help but notice how very insightful it is. How did various people with no apparent technology or knowledge of the
universe, as we modern humans know it, so accurately explain what we now can? Were they made privy to this
knowledge somehow?

Another interesting aspect of the tale is one of the more elusive. Some versions of the Pangu creation myth state that
the giant had help from four mythical beasts. Let us take a brief look these beasts one by one. First, the turtle: the
Chinese were not the only ones to use it in their creation myth; various world myths, creation and otherwise, include the
turtle for its strength and immortality. The qilin, though indigenous to Asian mythology, is said to have been dragon-like.
Of course, dragons are central to Asian mythology—though also found world-wide—as bearers of wisdom and a symbol
of power, also connected to the succession of the early emperors. Finally, the phoenix has consistently been a symbol of
rebirth. How so many cultures separated by thousands of miles came to describe such similar occurrences and use the
same symbology has been a subject of much intrigue over the centuries.
 Malakas and Maganda: The Mythological Man and Woman From
the Bamboo
https://www.kayako.ph/blogs/journal/malakas-and-maganda-
about-the-mythological-man-and-woman-from-bamboo

Malakas and Maganda are known to be the first man and woman
in pre-colonial Philippine folklore. Men were described as strong
and dependable, making them the pillars of their families, while
women took on the role of gentle and delicate. Malakas and
Maganda epitomize a Philippines love story and appreciation of
God's greatness.

Who are Malakas and Maganda? Let’s look at the Philippine folklore characters.

Malakas and Maganda are the counterparts of Adam and Eve

Its theological connection is evident, as it follows the core attributes of the Creator, so they were created by the gods'
abilities. Folktales and the Bible both develop from the stories and perspectives of individuals who share a common
understanding of the supernatural.

LET’S TALK ABOUT AMIHAN

Amihan is commonly portrayed as a golden eagle and is shown as a genderless deity. Amihan belonged to the first three
beings in the world together with Bathala, heaven, and Aman-Saya, sea. And the rest is history.

LET’S DIVE IN

There is a golden bird, Amihan, who had nowhere to nest, became weary of circling and, in fury, fought the Sea by
stirring up the sky. Rain, storm, and lightning fell from the sky onto the sea, which swelled up and tossed waves and
storms towards the skies. The Philippine Islands were created because the sky poured a slew of vast stones into the sea.
With the help of these islands, it blocked the waves from swelling any farther. The flow of waves becomes a sweet
rhythm.

Bamboo is the result of the love of Land Breeze and Sea Breeze. Straight away, Bamboo collided with the Kite's feet
while sailing toward the water. The bird was frightened and as a result, the bird poked at the bamboo until it broke in
half. By that, the magic unfurled. Malakas and Maganda showed up. After that, they got married and started a family.
But their children started to leave and they developed different ethnic groups.

According to Felipe Jocano Jr., a Filipino anthropologist from the University of the Philippines, Malakas is also known as
Sikalak, while Maganda was also once known as Sikabay. It originated in Central Visayas mythology which portrays the
story of the creation of the first man and woman. Once upon a time, a god named Kaptan once planted bamboo. The
bamboo grew and divided into two halves, a man and woman appeared and that’s how Sikalak and Sikabay were
created.

There are a lot of versions of Malakas and Maganda story but the bottom line is the story denotes a deeper
interpretation of family. In Filipino culture, it reflects that the rain symbolizes agriculture, which is the source of life for
farming. Additionally, men are born with power and women rely on their intellect. In today’s generation, women
empowerment acknowledges the diversity of potentials and possibilities available to them. We women practice our
freedom to be who we are and who we want to become. Through this malakas (strong) and maganda (beautiful), with
great potential to transform the norms that restrict their identity.