Considered to inspire bravery, strength and even mystical powers,
the dragons have entrenched themselves in Japanese culture and history. But unlike
the dragons we find in more western stories, the dragon’s mortality was far more complex. To think
of a dragon is often to think of a winged, fire breathing monster that preys upon civilisations
and decimates mankind without remorse. It prowls the skies with threatening menace, or lurks in a
cave, where only fools would trespass. But to the Japanese, the dragon could be a good omen,
a beast that was pure and divine and could not only empower a man with virtue and wisdom,
but could even save his life. The dragons were not monsters, for the most part, they were
often gods - deities who could be prayed to and entities that brought protection and blessing.
But much like any pantheon or set of beliefs, there can always be an exception to the rule.
To some, the dragon, like the deity Ryujin, could be merciful, empathetic and even loving
to those who were pure or to those who had shown reverence. But to others, the dragon could be
viewed with a more ‘western perspective’, where the dragon was vicious, deadly and above all;
evil. One such creature was known as Yamata no Orochi - the eight headed dragon.
Yamata no Orochi, or just simply Orochi, exists in two ancient texts. The first is from an
early chronicle of myths and legends known as Kojiki - or ‘An Account of Ancient Matters’,
written in 680 AD whilst the second is from yet another chronicle tilted Nihon Shoki,
or the ‘Chronicles of Japan’, written in 720 AD. In both accounts, the beastly dragon is described
as having eight heads and eight tails and in both accounts, the dragon appears to be just
as fearsome as its appearance would indicate. The ancient texts tell us that there once lived
an old married couple who were perpetually disheartened. It wasn’t the simple case that
husband and wife no longer loved each other, or that the two had grown distant, but instead
that seven of their eight daughters had died. These were not normal deaths either, but instead
were brutal and ruthless murders by the wicked dragon Yamato no Orochi- a terrifying beast that
had prayed upon the family, by snatching up a daughter every year in one of its gruesome maws.
For seven long years, this had been the family's way of life, fretting year by year as daughter
after daughter was consumed by the hungry and merciless dragon. And so came the eighth year,
and the old couple ruminated over their last remaining daughter, who they knew was only
days away from going the same way as her sisters, head first into the mouths of the wicked Orochi.
But whilst things were bleak for the old couple, things were even bleaker
for the storm god Susanoo. After having teased his sister, the sun goddess Amaterasu,
one too many times, Susasnoo was banished from heaven and sent tumbling down to the earth,
where he landed near the head of the Hii River, in Izumo Province. No doubt he was in a foul mood
having been expunged from his home and no doubt he was considering a means to repay his sister for
such a punishment. But then before he could even fathom such a thought, he noticed in the river
beside him that two chopsticks were floating by. Realising that there must have been people nearby,
Susanoo followed the river until he came upon the old married couple,
who were inconsolable, as they held onto their last daughter.
Noticing their distress, Susanoo approached them and demanded to know what was wrong.
“I had eight young daughters,” the old man told Susanoo. “But the eight-forked Serpent of Koshi
has come every year and devoured them one by one. Today is the day he comes again, to take
our last remaining daughter. And so, we weep.” Susanoo felt for the old man and his wife,
for he could see how gravely they doted on their final daughter
and how it would pain them to lose her, after having lost so much already. He asked the old
man what the dragon looked like, to which the old man replied, “It’s eyes are like winter berries,
it has one body with eight heads and eight tails. But it’s body is not reptilian or scaly,
but instead mossy and covered in cypress and conifer. It’s length is over eight valleys
and eight hills and if you look at its belly, you’d see it is bloody and inflamed.”
Hearing of this, Susanno had to agree that the beast did sound like a monstrosity. He also knew
that the old couple would be no match for such a menace and that if the monster came again,
it would surely consume their last remaining daughter as it had done with the previous seven.
“I will face this dragon for you,” Susanno declared, having been touched by the old
married couple’s story. Indeed, the beast sounded dreadful, but Susanno was not afraid. He might
have been exiled from the heavens, but he was still a god. “But in exchange,” he added, “I would
take your last remaining daughter for myself.” The old married couple were unsure of what to say.
They would have agreed to any deal if it meant their daughter would live,
but this man before them was a stranger and whilst his sentiment may have been in the right place,
they could not imagine him defeating the dragon on his own. With their indifference,
it had come to dawn on Susanoo that the old married couple had no idea who he was.
“I am the elder brother to the Heaven-Shining-Great August-Deity.”
Susanoo began immediately. “I am Susanoo, god of the storms. I have descended from the heavens
and will tame this accursed beast you describe as the Serpent of Koshi - this Serpent of Death.”
It was with this that the old married couple changed their tune.
“Yes!’ they rejoiced. “If that is the case, and you are who you say you are, then our daughter’s
life is yours. We give her to you, so that you may spare her death at the mouth of Orochi.”
Content with the agreement, Susanno changed the young girl into a comb which he stuck
in his hair for safe keeping. She was as good as his now, after all. With that, he quickly
hatched a plan and requested of the old married couple as much alcohol as they could manage.
This came in the form of an eight year old liquor, poured into eight barrels that were to be placed
on eight platforms at eight specific gates. Knowing better than to question the god,
and probably desperate to try anything at this point, the old married couple helped Susanno
complete his master plan. Without a moment to spare, the eight-forked serpent approached
where he believed the last daughter to be, but before he could pursue her,
he became distracted by the first barrel of liquor. Dipping his head into the first barrel,
he consumed the alcohol in seconds before moving onto the second, the third,
the fourth, the fifth - all the way until he had drunk all eight barrels. With his final slurp,
he was beyond intoxicated and feeling too inebriated to do anything else,
decided to lay all of its heads down for a nap. With the beast asleep, Susanoo made his move.
He drew forth his sabre and cut the serpent into pieces, so that the River Hi flowed like a river
of blood. As Susanno went about decimating the sleeping dragon, he found in one of the
dragon’s tails a great and mighty sword, which he took to offer his sister as a peace offering.
This very sword would become to be known as the legendary Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi,
or the ‘Heavenly Sword’ and was believed to be the origin of one of three items that make up the
Imperial Regalia of Japan, along with the Yata no Kagami mirror and the Yasakani no Magatama jewel.
Today, the items represent valour, wisdom and benevolence respectively and are actually kept
from public viewing so as to symbolise the authority of the imperial line.
With the dragon defeated, the old married couple were true to their word
and allowed Susanno to keep their daughter - not that they had much choice now that she’d been
turned into a literal comb. Susanno and the young daughter would live happily in Izumo province
and it was here in this province that Suanno would find some peace after his exile from heaven. In
fact, he was said to become so refreshed in this place that he built his palace there. Later,
he appointed the old married couple to be the caretakers of the palace,
where the family lived in peace with their new god.
The concept of multi-headed creatures, whether dragon or not, is something that’s common in
mythology. Cerberus, the dog who guarded the gates of Hades in Greek Mythology had three heads,
whilst even further back Mušmaḫḫu of Mesopotamian mythology was believed to have been a seven headed
serpent - perhaps a creature closer in stature to Orochi. Even in modern religious belief, Agni
the fire god is depicted as having two heads in Hinduism, whilst the Cherubim in Christianity are
believed to have three completely different heads altogether. Ultimately, the use of multiple heads
may have been a great way for the original authors to elicit fear or shock from their readers,
for to see something so unusual at the time would no doubt be remarkable. But it may also have been
a means to romanticise the unknown and to fill the world that was relatively unknown to the ancients
with fantastical elements that, for all they knew, may very well have been true.
In Yamato no Orichi’s case, the repetition of the number 8 is an interesting feature.
Not only does the beast have eight heads, but it also has eight tails.
It intends to kill eight daughters over a period of eight years and is only stopped by drinking
eight barrels of liquor from eight different gates. Why the number 8 is used so frequently
could just be a poetic consistency, but it could also be due to the fact that in Japanese numerals,
the shape of the number 8 (Hachi) widens at the bottom, which in Japanese numerology
suggests is a lucky number. With the bottom of the number widening, it reminds people of prosperity
and growth. Perhaps the same notions could be applied to the story of Yamato no Orichi,
perhaps more specifically for Susanno, who assists the old married couple and later makes peace with
his sister, before building his palace. Another potential reason for Orichi possessing eight heads
could be because some of the more scary looking creatures including spiders,
scorpions and octopuses all have eight legs. With these earthly animals invoking fear in humans,
the ancient authors may have borrowed the same number of limbs for their dragon
in the hopes of producing a fearsome monster that invoked similar feelings.
The concept of Gods fighting dragons is a popular mythic trope in itself
and can be seen as a metaphor for order against chaos. Once more,
the ancient writers appeared to craft the god as benevolent and as representation of order,
whilst the dragon or serpent is usually malevolent and a representation of chaos. One might argue
that we as humanity were once envisioned by the ancient writers as these brave and powerful gods
and heroes and that the dragon became illustrative of the disorder and strife that we may find in our
lives. Whether it be Thor fighting Jormungandr, Zeus fighting Hydra or St George slaying the
Dragon, chaos and disorder are always overcome - perhaps an ancient ode to our own perseverance.
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