Nusa-kor-kamuy (ヌサ・コﾙ・カムイ) is an
Ainu
Ainu or Aynu may refer to:
*Ainu people, an East Asian ethnic group of Japan and the Russian Far East
*Ainu languages, a family of languages
**Ainu language of Hokkaido
**Kuril Ainu language, extinct language of the Kuril Islands
**Sakhalin Ainu la ...
''
kamuy'' (''god''). Called the ''community-founding kamuy'', he represents the dead and serves as a messenger to the other ''kamuy''.
Mythology
Nusa-kor-kamuy is the originator of ''nusa'' or ''inau'', sacred carved wands that represent the ''kamuy'' in Ainu ritual. He is responsible for maintaining the row of ''inau'' arranged outside of a traditional Ainu dwelling, and he carries the ''inau'' and other offerings to the gods, along with humans' messages of reverence. He is called upon to assist in rituals, ensuring that the respect behind them is properly conveyed to the ''kamuy''. He is assisted in his tasks by
Yushkep Kamuy Yushkep Kamuy is the ''kamuy'' (''goddess'') of the spiders
Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the larg ...
, the spider goddess.
[Ashkenazy, Michael. ''Handbook of Japanese Mythology''. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003. 225-226]
Nusa-kor-kamuy is usually said to be the brother of the snake god,
Kina-sut-kamuy
Kina-sut-kamuy (キナスッカムイ) is the Ainu '' kamuy'' (''god'') of snakes in the Japanese mythology. He is a benevolent figure who is called upon for protection against various calamities.
Mythology
Kina-sut-kamuy is depicted as generally ...
, but sometimes the two are regarded as a single entity. Nusa-kor-kamuy is also sometimes presented as a female deity.
Notes
References
*Ashkenazy, Michael. ''Handbook of Japanese Mythology''. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003.
*Etter, Carl. ''Ainu Folklore: Traditions and Culture of the Vanishing Aborigines of Japan''. Chicago: Wilcox and Follett, 1949.
*Munro, Neil Gordon. ''Ainu Creed and Cult''. New York: Columbia University Press, 1995.
{{ainu-stub
Ainu kamuy
Messenger gods