Japanese mythology

(JAPAN)

In Japanese mythology, Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun, is the

sister of Susanoo, the god of storms and the sea, and of Tsukuyomi,
the god of the moon. ... Amaterasu became the ruler of the sun and
the heavens along with her brother, Tsukuyomi as the ruler of the
night, and Susanoo as the ruler of the seas.
Amaterasu

by Timothy Takemato (CC BY-NC-SA)

Amaterasu Omikami (‘the great divinity illuminating heaven’) is the
sun goddess, the most important deity of the Shinto religion and
ruler of Takama no Hara (the High Celestial Plain), the domain of the
kami or spirits.

Also known as Oho-hir-me-no-muchi or Amaterasu-oho-hiru-me,

Amaterasu is the daughter of Izanami and Izanagi who made their
daughter ruler of the sky. When her father Izanagi escaped from his
visit to the underworld he had to perform a cleansing ritual in the
river Woto and it was then, from the god’s left eye, that Amaterasu
was born. She is also the elder sister of Susanoo (or Susa-no-wo) the
storm god. Amaterasu constantly quarrelled with her mischievous
younger brother and finally having enough, she exiled him from
heaven.

Amaterasu is a sun goddess of the Shinto religion. It is believed

that Amaterasu sent her grandson Jimmu to Earth 3,000 years ago
to be the first ruler of Japan, beginning the divine family of Japanese
emperors.

Amaterasu was given rule over the sky by Izangi when he handed to
her his holy necklace.

Later, in a competition with her brother Susano, Amaterasu gave

birth to three goddesses, who with Susano's offspring, are
collectively the ancestors of Jimmu.

During this competition, Amaterasu was unwilling to admit defeat.

This caused Susano to furiously wreak havoc throughout the
heavens and the Earth. Amaterasu fled into a cave, and her absence
caused darkness throughout Japan.

Amaterasu's absence caused much dismay on Earth. As the crops

died off and the people suffered, the gods decided they needed to
return Amaterasu to her position in the heavens. They sought the
help of several dieties, and performed ritualis and sacrifieces
outside of Amaterasu's cave. They also hung a mirror from a tree
outside of the cave.

Hearing all the commotion, Amaterasu came forth and asked why
the gods seemed to be rejoicing. They replied that they had found a
new mistress who would be the sun goddess' replacement.
Amaterasu came forth in curiosity, and peeked out of her cave. She
immediately saw the mirror and was drawn to it. Having never seen
her own reflection, Amaterasu thought she was looking at her
majestic replacement. As she stepped forward to examine it, she
was caught by one god and the cave was blocked by another.
Amaterasu's presence illuminated the fields and life returned to
Japan's land.

RICE GODDESS
(THAILAND)

Phosop (Thai: โพสพ) or Phaisop (Thai: ไพสพ) is the rice goddess

of the Thai people. She is a deity more related to ancient Thai
folklore than a goddess of a structured, mainstream religion. She is
also known as Mae Khwan Khao (Thai: แม่ขวัญข ้าว; "Mother of Rice
Prosperity")

The myth of Mae Phosop, rice goddess of Thailand

Worshipping goddesses like Mae Phosop, the rice goddess, has been
part of Thai culture and tradition since prehistoric times.
Even though the role of female deities became subservient since the
introduction of male-dominated faiths such as Hinduism,
Brahmanism and the official religion Buddhism, the power of the
matriarchal spirit has always played an important role in Thailand.
She is also known as Mae Khwan Khao, the ‘Mother of Rice
Prosperity’.
Mae Phosop is considered the spirit or soul of rice, the main staple
of the Thai diet. Thus, it is a common belief that without rice, a
person cannot sustain and live long. The myth and legend of the rice
goddess says she is badly mistreated by an old widow. Hence, she
flees and finds shelter with a friend. This friend is a fish that leads
the goddess into the deep forest where no human being can find
and reach her.
As a consequence, all human beings begin to suffer from the
absence of Phosop and try all that is humanly possible to find her.
Finally, the fish advises the goddess to return to the humans
because the next Lord Buddha will soon come to the world. Thus,
the blessing of the rice goddess is needed since the Buddha will not
be able to fulfil his duty on earth without Mae Phosop. Hence, she
comes back to the community of mankind to stay forever. However,
before her return, the goddess asks human beings to promise to
treat her with respect forever after. In return she promises to bring
abundant crops to mankind. Man keeps his word and so does Mae
Phosop.

This story explains Thai fertility rites concerning the cultivation of

rice. Thus, we may be justified in claiming that the relationship
between humans and the ‘soul’ of rice is mutually dependent.
Hence, there is also a saying that ‘The virtues of rice are 69, while
the virtues of the Lord Buddha are only 59’. This proverb speaks for
itself, and what is more, it also seems to point out the conflict
between animistic beliefs and Buddhism. In addition, it reveals an
intrinsic connection and relationship between mankind and what
sustains its source of life.

When the spirit of the rice goddess is invocated, the person who
performs the rite will address the spirit with sweet, kind and
respectful words. The invocation runs as follows: ‘Dear Spirit of Rice,
Mother Phosi, Mother Phosop, Mother of the Nine Stars, Mother
Chanthewi, Mother Si Dusada, come, please, come’
Mae Phosop is addressed by the title of mother (mae) who provides
food for her children (mankind). Thus, people are her children and
they treat her with respect as they would their natural mother.
According to Thai tradition, children are also taught to wai – put
their hands in the position of obeisance and respect – after finishing
their meal.

Summing up, we may say that on the one hand, the myth of the rice
goddess shows how animistic and Buddhist belief were combined in
the past. On the other hand, it also reveals mankind’s dependency
on a good rice harvest. Hence, people feel grateful to the rice
goddess and behave respectfully towards her.
 THE TAMING OF THE SUN

(Far East, South East and Pacific Island)

Long ago, the Sun began to move quickly across the sky. The days
became shorter and shorter until the Sun blazed across the sky,
dipping the village into night, bringing about the day again just a
few hours later. Hunting and fishing became impossible for the
village men, and the women’s kapa never had enough heat or
sunlight to dry, but what could they do? They were mere mortals
beneath the heat of the powerful Sun. No one could deny that.
No one except Maui.

Maui gathered his four brothers one day and said to them,
“Brothers, let’s catch the Sun. Let’s make him slow his journey.”
“No way, Maui! That’s impossible,” replied his brothers. “He’s far
too big and powerful. If we got near him, we would surely burn to
ashes!”
“Trust me,” said Maui. “There is a way. Gather as much flax as you
can. We must move quickly.”

The brothers obeyed, and Maui showed them how to plait the flax
into flat, square and round ropes. Maui chanted over the ropes while
they worked, weaving them with the power they would need to hold
the might of the Sun.
As night fell, Maui and his brothers set off to find the Sun’s resting
place. They followed an invisible path, guided only by the heat of
the ground, which grew warmer as they neared. The earth became
dry and cracked as they came to a clearing, where a blinding light
shone from a great crater in the center. Maui and his brothers mixed
some water with the dry earth and built a clay wall surrounding the
crater, caking the clay on their bodies as well to protect against the
Sun’s eventual rays. Then, having taken their positions, they waited.

The first rumble of the ground startled them. The Sun was
awakening from his slumber. The Sun rose steadily from the pit, and
as he opened his eyes and saw Maui, Maui sprang to his feet.
“Now, brothers!” he yelled.

Maui’s brothers unleashed the nets across the pit, over the Sun,
securing the nets on all sides. The Sun’s hair became entangled in
the magical ropes, and his body wrapped tightly.

“Pull the ropes! As hard as you can!” cried Maui.

The terrified men pulled with all their strength, pulled for their lives,
cinching the Sun in the flax nets. The Sun roared in anger, but was
held still.
Maui jumped atop the wall they had built, raising a blessed jawbone
of his ancestor, and smashed the Sun over the head. The Sun
bellowed under Maui’s tremendous strength as Maui repeated the
blow, again and again.
“Stop!” cried the Sun. “You will kill me!”

“No, I would never kill you,” answered Maui, “but you will move

more slowly across the sky. Today, tomorrow and forever more.”
When the Sun was weak and tired, Maui jumped down and ordered
the brothers to release the ropes. Sweaty, scorched and exhausted,
the brothers let loose the great burning Sun and watched as he
drifted up slowly into the sky.

From then on, the days were longer as the Sun traveled his long,
lonely path from east to west, remembering Maui and his brothers
always. And, sometimes, if you look up toward the Sun, you can still
see the magic ropes that bind him to the Earth.

RAMAYANA SUMMARY
Far East, South East and Pacific Island

Dasharatha was the King of Ayodhya and had three wives and four
sons. Rama was the eldest and his mother was Kaushalya. Bharata
was the son of Dasharatha’s second and favorite wife, Queen
Kaikeyi. The other two were twins, Lakshmana and Shatrughna
whose mother was Sumithra. In the neighboring city the ruler’s
daughter was named Sita. When it was time for Sita to choose her
bridegroom (at a ceremony called a swayamvara) princes from all
over the land were asked to string a giant bow which no one could
lift. However, as Rama picked it up, he not only strung the bow, he
broke it. Seeing this, Sita indicated that she had chosen Rama as
her husband by putting a garland around his neck. Their love
became a model for the entire kingdom as they looked over the
kingdom under the watchful eye of his father the king.

A few years later, King Dasharatha decided it was time to give his
throne to his eldest son Rama and retire to the forest. Everyone
seemed pleased, save Queen Kaikeyi since she wanted her son
Bharata to rule. Because of an oath Dasharatha had made to her
years before, she got the king to agree to banish Rama for fourteen
years and to crown Bharata, even though the king pleaded with her
not to demand such a request. The devastated King could not face
Rama and it was Queen Kaikeyi who told Rama the King’s decree.
Rama, always obedient, was content to go into banishment in the
forest. Sita and Lakshmana accompanied him on his exile.

One day Rama and Lakshmana wounded a rakshasas (demon)

princess who tried to seduce Rama. She returned to her brother
Ravana, the ten-headed ruler of Lanka. In retaliation, Ravana
devised a plan to abduct Sita after hearing about her incomparable
beauty. He sent one of his demons disguised as a magical golden
deer to entice Sita. To please her, Rama and Lakshmana went to
hunt the deer down. Before they did though, they drew a protective
circle around Sita and told her that she would be safe for as long as
she did not step outside the circle. After Rama and Lakshmana left,
Ravana appeared as a holy man begging alms. The moment Sita
stepped outside the circle to give him food, Ravana grabbed her and
carried her to his kingdom in Lanka.

Rama then sought the help of a band of monkeys offer to help him
find Sita. Hanuman, the general of the monkey band can fly since
his father is the wind. He flew to Lanka and, finding Sita in the
grove, comforted her and told her Rama would come to save her
soon. Ravana’s men captured Hanuman, and Ravana ordered them
to wrap Hanuman's tail in cloth and to set it on fire. With his tail
burning, Hanuman escaped and hopped from house-top to house-
top, setting Lanka on fire. He then flew back to Rama to tell him
where Sita was.

Rama, Lakshmana and the monkey army built a causeway from the
tip of India to Lanka and crossed over to Lanka where a cosmic
battle ensued. Rama killed several of Ravana’s brothers and
eventually confronted the ten-headed Ravana. He killed Ravana,
freed Sita and after Sita proved here purity, they returned to
Ayodhya where Bharata returned the crown to him.