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022 - Chapter 6 Part V - Myths of the Sky and Air · Guide to Mythology

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  Speaker 1: Chapter six, Part five of A Guide to Mythology by
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  Speaker 1: Helen Clark. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: Chapter six, Part five, Myths of the Sky and Air
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  Speaker 1: the Message Bearers. When the Great Spirit brought the red
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  Speaker 1: men from the happy hunting grounds and left them upon
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  Speaker 1: the earth, they were filled with fear, lest they could
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  Speaker 1: never make him hear their wants, and could not reach
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  Speaker 1: his ears when they desired to tell him of their
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  Speaker 1: joys and sorrows. The sachems went before him and said, O,
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  Speaker 1: our Father, how will thy children tell THEE of the
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  Speaker 1: deeds they have performed that will please Thine ear? How
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  Speaker 1: will they ask THEE to their homes to help them
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  Speaker 1: drive away the bad spirits? And how will they invite
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  Speaker 1: THEE to their feasts and dances? O, our Father, Thou
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  Speaker 1: canst not at all times be awake and watching thy children,
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  Speaker 1: and they will not know when thou art sleeping. Thy
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  Speaker 1: children do not know the trail to the happy hunting
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  Speaker 1: grounds by which to send their wise men and sachems
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  Speaker 1: to talk with THEE, for thou hast covered it with
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  Speaker 1: thy hands, and thy children cannot discover it. How will
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  Speaker 1: the words of thy children reach thee O, our father,
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  Speaker 1: the Manito, How will what they say come to thine ears?
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  Speaker 1: Then the Great Spirit created for each one of the
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  Speaker 1: red men a second self, to whom he gave a
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  Speaker 1: home in the air. He provided these beings with wings
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  Speaker 1: and swift feet, so they could move very rapidly to them.
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  Speaker 1: He imparted the secrets of the entrance to his home
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  Speaker 1: and made them guides to his children, whom he had
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  Speaker 1: called on the long journey, so that they should not
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  Speaker 1: lose the paths leading to their future home. Finally, the
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  Speaker 1: Great Spirit told these creatures of the air that they
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  Speaker 1: should be message bearers for his children and convey their
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  Speaker 1: words exactly as spoken, from one point to another, until
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  Speaker 1: they reached the ears of his sachems in the big
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  Speaker 1: wigwam by the side of the council fire that never
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  Speaker 1: lost its light. They must be ready at all times
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  Speaker 1: to answer the calls of the Red Men, so that
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  Speaker 1: none of their words might be lost. Messages to the
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  Speaker 1: loved ones who had left the earth and gone to
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  Speaker 1: the happy hunting grounds must be transmitted with the same
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  Speaker 1: watchful care as were those intended for his ears alone.
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  Speaker 1: If any of his children spoke idle and untruthful words,
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  Speaker 1: They too, must be repeated, that their father might know
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  Speaker 1: whether they were worthy to be admitted to the Grand
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  Speaker 1: Council Fire. When he had finished his instructions, the Great
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  Speaker 1: Spirit told the sachems that he would return to his home,
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  Speaker 1: and that they could go with his children to the
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  Speaker 1: bank of a beautiful river near which they dwelt, and
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  Speaker 1: there talked to him slowly and with a loud voice.
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  Speaker 1: The chief sechem began to speak. From the opposite bank
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  Speaker 1: of the river, The waiting message bearer caught up the
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  Speaker 1: Secham's words as they were spoken, and with a strong voice,
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  Speaker 1: shouted them to another dweller of the air, who crouched
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  Speaker 1: in the tree tops far down the river, ready and
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  Speaker 1: alert to do the Great Spirit's bidding. On and on,
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  Speaker 1: rolling along the ravines and valleys, leaping from hill top
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  Speaker 1: to mountain side, and from mountain side to lake, striding
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  Speaker 1: over the forests at a bound fainter and yet fainter,
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  Speaker 1: until lost in the blue distance of the plain. The
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  Speaker 1: message of thankfulness and love was borne from the lips
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  Speaker 1: of the grateful sachem until it reached the ears of
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  Speaker 1: the ever listening and loving Father, and was told to
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  Speaker 1: the chiefs who sat in the light of the council
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  Speaker 1: fire that never grows dim the way of the Gods. Japanese. Listen,
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  Speaker 1: my children to the true story of the beginning of
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  Speaker 1: the world. When there was neither heaven nor Earth, nor
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  Speaker 1: sun nor moon, nor anything that is there existed in
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  Speaker 1: infinite space. The invisible Lord of the middle Heaven. With
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  Speaker 1: him were two other gods. By their miraculous power, a
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  Speaker 1: thing whose shape cannot be described, came into existence in
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  Speaker 1: the midst of space, in appearance like a floating cloud.
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  Speaker 1: Forth from it sprang as it were a flowering rush
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  Speaker 1: sprout rising from the water, pure, translucent and bright, which
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  Speaker 1: grew and grew and widened and widened infinitely, till it
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  Speaker 1: spread over all things and became the canopy of Heaven.
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  Speaker 1: Then downward from the floating cloud grew the under region,
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  Speaker 1: the realm of night, which is the root region of
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  Speaker 1: the world and the abode of departed spirits. And the
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  Speaker 1: center of the floating cloud became the Earth, which was
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  Speaker 1: still liquid and formless and without life. After this were
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  Speaker 1: born in heaven seven generations of gods, and the last
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  Speaker 1: and most perfect of these were Isanogi and Issenami. Now
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  Speaker 1: Isanogi and Issonami were the parents of the world and
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  Speaker 1: all that is in it. And it happened in this wise.
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  Speaker 1: The gods of the high plain of heaven said to
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  Speaker 1: Issenogi and Isonami, descend and make of this drifting mud
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  Speaker 1: and ocean a firm and beautiful land, and fill it
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  Speaker 1: with living things. And the gods placed in their hands
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  Speaker 1: a mystic jeweled spear. Now, in these days, the heavens
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  Speaker 1: were near to the Earth, and the space between was
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  Speaker 1: spanned by a heavenly floating bridge. So they set forth
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  Speaker 1: bravely on their journey, and looking down into the space
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  Speaker 1: beneath them, they saw in the depths the green plain
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  Speaker 1: of the sea. They held council together and said, is
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  Speaker 1: there not a country beneath? And Isanagi pushed the jeweled
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  Speaker 1: spear down from the floating bridge and stirred the green
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  Speaker 1: sea round and round. And some say that is why
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  Speaker 1: the Earth turns round and round to this day. Then
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  Speaker 1: the brine went curdle, curdle, and they drew up the spear,
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  Speaker 1: and the brine that fell from the end of the
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  Speaker 1: spear dropped down and became an island. This island was
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  Speaker 1: called on a Goro, and as one of the everlasting islands,
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  Speaker 1: of the land of sunrise, of the land of fertile
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  Speaker 1: reed plains, which is Japan. Now the gods stepped down
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  Speaker 1: down on to the earth, and it was strange and desolate,
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  Speaker 1: and they shivered and felt lonely and afraid. Suddenly sounded
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  Speaker 1: a whirring of wings. Two tiny secarey wagtails swept by
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  Speaker 1: and fluttered to the ground. It was early springtime. The
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  Speaker 1: living air thrilled, warm and sweet, with little pecks and
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  Speaker 1: cheeks full of busy pride. The pear sought twigs and
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  Speaker 1: grasses and wove them deftly into a downy nest. Quivering
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  Speaker 1: with rapture. The lover bird hovered round his mate and
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  Speaker 1: sang of love and joy and happy days to come.
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  Speaker 1: While the great gods watched, a warmth crept round the
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  Speaker 1: heart of Isanagi, and in Isanami's eyes was a mist
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  Speaker 1: of tears. She whispered softly, Let us too, make a
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  Speaker 1: house to dwell in. Then Isanagi plunged his spear into
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  Speaker 1: the ground, and round them rose a great and glorious palace,
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  Speaker 1: And the spear was the heart pillar thereof, And they
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  Speaker 1: were hidden from the sight of heaven and earth. Then,
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  Speaker 1: moving round this pillar, they met and gazed on one
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  Speaker 1: another with charmed eyes. The mother of mankind cried joyfully, behold,
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  Speaker 1: I have met with a lovely youth, And Isanagi cried back, behold,
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  Speaker 1: I have met with a lovely maiden. So the Secaay
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  Speaker 1: first taught the gods the ways of love, and are
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  Speaker 1: honored and cherished in Japan to this day. But Isanagi
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  Speaker 1: remembered how Ianami had been the first to speak, and
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  Speaker 1: in his displeasure, said wrathfully, I am man and should
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  Speaker 1: by right have spoken first. When the first child born
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  Speaker 1: to them was ugly and deformed, they put him in
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  Speaker 1: a boat made of camphor wood, and he sailed away
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  Speaker 1: to sea and became the god of the fisherfolk. His
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  Speaker 1: children are the hairy men who live in some of
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  Speaker 1: the islands of Japan to this day. Then the gods
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  Speaker 1: passed round the pillar a second time, and Isanagi spoke first.
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  Speaker 1: So his anger was appeased, and they lived greatly content together.
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  Speaker 1: They made the eight islands of Japan and placed them
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  Speaker 1: at the summit of the globe. But the land was
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  Speaker 1: hidden be covered with mists. So Isanagi sent forth the
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  Speaker 1: god of the winds. He blowing lustily rent the clouds,
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  Speaker 1: and the earth lay as a broad unveiled shimmering with
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  Speaker 1: silver dew on her green pastures. Next came the food
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  Speaker 1: spirit to comfort mankind, the sea gods, the mountain gods,
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  Speaker 1: the gods of the river mouths, the tree gods, and
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  Speaker 1: the earth goddess. Last of all was born the fierce
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  Speaker 1: fire god k Gutsuchi. Now this god was of such
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  Speaker 1: a hot and fiery temper that he burned his great mother,
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  Speaker 1: and she suffered change and departed to the lower world.
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  Speaker 1: Then Isanagi was wroth and cried aloud, oh, that I
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  Speaker 1: should have given my beloved in return for a single child.
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  Speaker 1: And his sorrow was so great that he crawled round
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  Speaker 1: her head and her feet, And from the tears that
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  Speaker 1: he shed sprang up the Goddess of weeping. Then he
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  Speaker 1: took his ten span sword and hewed Kagutsuchi in three pieces,
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  Speaker 1: and each peace sprang into life as the spirit of thunder,
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  Speaker 1: the spirit of mountains, and the spirit of rain. Now,
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  Speaker 1: Izanagi loved his wife so greatly that he could find
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  Speaker 1: no rest or peace on earth. And after wandering long
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  Speaker 1: in search of comfort and finding none, he determined to
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  Speaker 1: seek her even in the realm of departed spirits. His
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  Speaker 1: way lay through a long and gloomy passage where few
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  Speaker 1: have trod, right through the center of the earth, till
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  Speaker 1: he came at length to the gate of everlasting Night,
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  Speaker 1: to the kingdom of Yomi, the ruler of the underworld.
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  Speaker 1: He knocked at the gate and cried aloud, Oh, my
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  Speaker 1: beloved sister, come back to me, And she answered him, oh,
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  Speaker 1: a loved elder brother. Gladly would I come, But alas
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  Speaker 1: I have eaten of Yomi's cooking and am bewitched, let
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  Speaker 1: me return and speak to him. But do not thou
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  Speaker 1: follow me. So Ienaggi waited anxiously without till, growing impatient
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  Speaker 1: at her long delay, he broke a tooth off his comb,
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  Speaker 1: lighting it as a torch, and so dared to enter
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  Speaker 1: those terrible shades. Through dark and dreadful ways. He wandered,
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  Speaker 1: and his heart quailed within him. But Yomi was wroth
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  Speaker 1: with him for his daring, and smote is Anami, so
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  Speaker 1: that when he found her, she lay as one altered
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  Speaker 1: in death, with eight witches at her head and her feet.
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  Speaker 1: Then a great horror fell upon Izanagi. He turned and
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  Speaker 1: fled swiftly, and the eight ugly women rose and pursued
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  Speaker 1: him on. He ran through winding ways where icy blasts
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  Speaker 1: fly shrieking, and the witches swept after him and would
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  Speaker 1: have caught him. But he seized the wreath from his
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  Speaker 1: head and flung it down, and it was changed into
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  Speaker 1: bunches of grapes. When the witches saw these, they stopped
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  Speaker 1: and greedily devoured them. Then, gathering up their robes, rose
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  Speaker 1: and pursued again. Isinagi felt the chill of their coming
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  Speaker 1: and drew out a many toothed comb from the right
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  Speaker 1: bunch of his hair and threw it behind him. Behold,
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  Speaker 1: as it touched the ground, there sprang up a hedge
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  Speaker 1: of young bamboo shoots across the path. The witches swooped down,
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  Speaker 1: pulled up the young shoots, and ate them to the
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  Speaker 1: last one, then again gave chase. Now Isnami too was
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  Speaker 1: angered against him, for she had been put to shame,
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  Speaker 1: and she sent five hundred warriors from Yomi to pursue him.
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  Speaker 1: When the rush and the tramping drew nearer, Isanagi unsheathed
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  Speaker 1: his ten span sword, and in his despair his breath failed,
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  Speaker 1: as at the approach of death then suddenly appeared before
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  Speaker 1: him the gait of the pass of Yomi, And, hastily
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  Speaker 1: plucking some peaches which grew by the gate, he threw
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  Speaker 1: them and scattered his pursuers, and himself passed through into
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  Speaker 1: the light. And he rolled a mighty stone across the
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  Speaker 1: mouth of the opening, so that none hereafter could move it.
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  Speaker 1: The peaches that had saved him he named their augustness
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  Speaker 1: the great divine fruit, and they are honor in some
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  Speaker 1: parts of Japan to this day. Now, when he came
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  Speaker 1: back into the world again, Ianagi felt very weary and
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  Speaker 1: searched for a clear stream to wash away the foulness
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  Speaker 1: of the lower regions which clung to him. When he
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  Speaker 1: had found one, he bathed therein, and of this washing
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  Speaker 1: many evil gods were born. Among them were the gods
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  Speaker 1: of crookedness, who loved to plague mankind. Seeing this evil,
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  Speaker 1: he made the gods of straitening to make crooked things straight. Now,
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  Speaker 1: when he had rested and accomplished his purification, he created
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  Speaker 1: the greatest of his children in this wise. Descending once
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  Speaker 1: more into the clear stream, he bathed his left eye,
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  Speaker 1: and forth sprang Amatersu, the great sun goddess sparkling with light.
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  Speaker 1: She rose from the waters as the sun rises in
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  Speaker 1: the east, and her brightness was wonderful and shone through
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  Speaker 1: heaven and earth. Never was seen such radiant glory. Isanagi
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  Speaker 1: rejoiced greatly and said, there is none like this miraculous child.
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  Speaker 1: Taking a necklace of jewels, he put it round her
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  Speaker 1: neck and said, rule thou over the plain of high heaven.
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  Speaker 1: Thus Ema Teresu became the source of all life and light.
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  Speaker 1: The glory of her shining has warmed and comforted all mankind,
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  Speaker 1: and she is worshiped by them unto this day. Then
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  Speaker 1: he bathed his right eye, and there appeared her brother,
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  Speaker 1: the moon god. Isanagi said, thy beauty and radiance are
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  Speaker 1: next to the sun in splendor. Rule thou over the
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  Speaker 1: dominion of night. When the two beautiful ones had departed,
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  Speaker 1: a third god came forth, whose name was susa Wo.
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  Speaker 1: He was a god with a strange destiny and could
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  Speaker 1: never be at peace, sweeping ceaselessly over hills and valleys
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  Speaker 1: with his long beard floating behind him. Isanagi gave him
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  Speaker 1: dominion over the sea, but he was not content and
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  Speaker 1: neglected his kingdom, restlessly roaming over the earth. So that
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  Speaker 1: the green mountains withered and the rivers dried up. The
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  Speaker 1: murmuring of spirits he woke with his moaning was as
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  Speaker 1: the sound of innumerable bees. So Isanagi, in his wrath,
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  Speaker 1: banished him to the nether regions, and, having accomplished his
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  Speaker 1: work withdrew into an island cave, and abode there till
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  Speaker 1: the end end of chapter six.