Orochi (Noh Play)

, or simply , is a legendary eight-headed and eight-tailed Japanese dragon/serpent.

Mythology

Yamata no Orochi legends are originally recorded in two ancient texts about Japanese mythology and history. The 712 AD transcribes this dragon name as and the 720 AD writes it as . In both versions of the Orochi myth, the Shinto storm god Susanoo (or "Susa-no-O") is expelled from Heaven for tricking his sister Amaterasu, the sun goddess.

After expulsion from Heaven, Susanoo encounters two near the head of the , now called the , in Izumo Province. They are weeping because they were forced to give the Orochi one of their daughters every year for seven years, and now they must sacrifice their eighth, , who Susanoo transforms into a for safekeeping. The tells the following version:

The also describes Yamata no Orochi: "It had an eight-forked head and an eight-forked tail; its eyes were red, like the winter-cherry; and on its back firs and cypresses were growing. As it crawled it extended over a space of eight hills and eight valleys." The botanical names used to describe this Orochi are or (winter cherry or Japanese lantern, '' Physalis alkekengi''), (club moss, '' Lycopodiopsida''), (Japanese cypress, ''Chamaecyparis obtusa''), and (Japanese cedar, '' Cryptomeria'').

The legendary sword , which came from the tail of Yamata no Orochi, along with the mirror and jewel, became the three sacred Imperial Regalia of Japan.

Etymology

The Japanese name derives from Old Japanese with a regular from shift, but its etymology is enigmatic. Besides this ancient reading, the kanji, , are commonly pronounced , "big snake; large serpent".

Carr notes that Japanese scholars have proposed "more than a dozen" < etymologies, while Western linguists have suggested loanwords from Austronesian, Tungusic, and Indo-European languages. The most feasible native etymological proposals are Japanese from , (which is where Susanoo discovered the sacred sword), , or ; and , meaning "god; spirit", cognate with the river-dragon. Benedict originally proposed "large snake" was suffixed from Proto-Austro-Japanese *''(w)oröt-i'' acquired from Austronesian , "snake; worm"; which he later modified to from . Miller criticized Benedict for overlooking Old Japanese " 'tail' + suffix – as well as an obvious Tungus etymology, roto-Tungus*''xürgü-či'', 'the tailed one'", and notes "this apparently well-traveled has now turned up in the speculation of the ndo-Europeanfolklorists." Littleton's hypothesis involves the 3-headed monster Trisiras or Viśvarūpa, which has a mythological parallel because Indra killed it after giving it soma, wine, and food, but lacks a phonological connection.

Mythological parallels

Polycephalic or multi-headed animals are rare in biology, but commonly feature in mythology and heraldry. Multi-headed dragons, like the 8-headed Orochi and 3-headed Trisiras above, are a common motif in comparative mythology. For instance, multi-headed dragons in Greek mythology include the 9-headed Lernaean Hydra and the 100-headed Ladon, both slain by Heracles.

Two other Japanese examples derive from Buddhist importations of Indian dragon myths. Benzaiten, the Japanese name of Saraswati, supposedly killed a 5-headed dragon at Enoshima in 552 AD. Kuzuryū (, "9-headed dragon"), deriving from the Nagaraja snake-kings Vasuki and Shesha, is worshipped at Togakushi Shrine in Nagano Prefecture. (Compare the , "nine-headed bird" in Chinese mythology.)

Comparing folklore about polycephalic dragons and serpents, 8-headed creatures are less common than 7- or 9-headed ones. Among Japanese numerals, or () can mean "many; varied" (e.g., , "greengrocer; jack-of-all-trades"). De Visser says the number 8 is "stereotypical" in legends about kings or gods riding dragons or having their carriages drawn by them. The slaying of the dragon is said to be similar to the legends of Cambodia, India, Persia, Western Asia, East Africa and the Mediterranean area. Smith identifies the mythic 7- or 8-headed dragons with the 7-spiked Pteria shell or 8-tentacled octopus.

The myth of a storm god fighting a sea serpent is itself a popular mythic trope potentially originating with the Proto-Indo-European religion and later transmitted into the religions of the ancient Near East most likely initially through interaction with Hittite speaking peoples into Syria and the Fertile Crescent. This motif, known as (German for "struggle against chaos"), represents the clash between order and chaos. Often as these myths evolve from their original source, the role of the storm god (himself often the head of a pantheon) is adopted by culture heroes or a personage symbolizing royalty. In many examples, the serpent god is often seen as multi-headed or multi-tailed.

*Thor vs. Jörmungandr ( Norse)
* Perun vs. Veles ( Slavic)
* Dobrynya Nikitich vs. Zmey Gorynych ( Slavic)
* Tarhunt vs. Illuyanka ( Hittite)
* Teshub vs. Ullikummi (Hurrian)
*Zeus vs. Typhon ( Greek)
*Heracles vs. The Lernaean Hydra ( Greek)
*Apollo vs. Python (mythology) ( Greek)
*Indra vs. Vritra (Indian)
*Krishna vs. Kāliyā (Indian)
* Θraētaona vs. Aži Dahāka (Zoroastrian)
* Garshasp vs. Zahhak (Iranian)
*Saint George vs. the Dragon (Christian)
* Saint Michael vs. Herensuge ( Christian-Basque)
*Făt-Frumos vs. Balaur (Romanian)
*Baʿal vs. Yam ( Canaanite)
*Yu the Great vs. Xiangliu or Gong Gong (Chinese)
*Marduk vs. Tiamat ( Babylonian)
* Ra vs. Apep (Egyptian)
*Gabriel vs. Rahab (Jewish)
*Christ vs. Satan (Christian)
* Mankan vs. Kuzuryū ( Japanese Buddhism)
* Sigurd vs. Fafnir (Norse mythology)
* Quetzalcoatl vs. Cipactli (Aztec mythology)
* Benzaiten vs. ( Japanese Buddhism)
* Drangue vs. Kulshedra ( Albanian mythology)
* Vahagn vs. Vishap (Armenian mythology)
* Lac Long Quan vs. Ngu Tinh ( Vietnamese mythology)

The fight of a hero (sometimes of extraordinary birth) against a dragon who demands the sacrifice of maidens or princesses is a widespread tale. In folkloristics it falls under the Aarne–Thompson–Uther index type ATU 300, "The Dragonslayer".

In popular culture

* (Yamata-no-Orochi and Keibu Keioiba) is a Meitei language play that interweaves the stories of the two legendary creatures, Yamata-no-Orochi of Japanese mythology and Keibu Keioiba of Meitei mythology (Manipuri mythology). In the play, the role of Yamata-no-Orochi was played by Maisnam Momocha.
* The 2019 film Godzilla: King of the Monsters mentions a Titan dubbed ''Titanus'' ''Yamata no Orochi'' or simply ''Yamata no Orochi'', though it is not seen in the film. But the creature was seen in a monitor awakening in its containment field in Outpost 91 Mount Fuji, Japan with people trying to run to safety as it arises and escapes after being awoken by King Ghidorah alongside the other 17 titans.
* In the SCP Foundation, a creature dubbed ''SCP-1645'' was described to have 8 heads resembling that of a Mamushi, similar to Yamata no Orochi's serpentine features. This creature was also found in Japan, which is Orochi's myth origination.
* In Eiichiro Oda's manga series One Piece, an antagonistic character named ''Kurozumi Orochi'' appears. He has the ability to transfrom into an eight-headed dragon, coming from a fruit named ''Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Yamata no Orochi'' (official english name: ''Snake-Snake Fruit, Model: Yamato no Orochi'').
*Referenced in Naruto when Itachi defeats Orochimaru with his move “Susanoo”

See also

* Lernaean Hydra
* Fafnir
* King Ghidorah, fictional ''kaiju'' and villain in the Godzilla film franchise inspired by Yamata no Orochi.
* Leviathan
* Princess and dragon
* '' The Three Treasures''
* Hydreigon

References

External links

Yamata-no-orochi
Encyclopedia of Shinto

Hyakkai Ryūran: Yamata-No-Orochi


Susanoo vs Yamata no Orochi
animated depiction

{{Japanese folklore long

Japanese dragons
Legendary serpents
Mythical many-headed creatures
ATU 300-399