Augustness Grand-Jewel drew the bottom-tied rope[1] along at her august back, and spoke, saying: “Thou must not go back further in than this!” So when the Heaven-Shining-Great-August-Deity had come forth, both the Plain of High Heaven and the Central-Land-of-Reed-Plains of course again became light.[2]
[Sect. XVII.—The August Expulsion of His-Impetuous-Male-Augustness.]
Thereupon the eight hundred myriad Deities took counsel together, and imposed on His-Swift-Impetuous-Male-Augustness a fine of a thousand tables,[3] and likewise cut his beard, and even caused the nails of his fingers and toes to be pulled out, and expelled him with a divine expulsion. Again he begged food of the Deity Princess-of-Great-Food.[4] Then the Princess-of-Great-Food took out all sorts of dainty things from her nose, her mouth, and even her fundament, and made them up into all sorts [of dishes], which she offered to him. But His-Swift-Impetuous-Male-Augustness watched her proceedings, considered that she was offering up to him filth, and at once killed the Deity Princess-of-Great-Food. So the things that were born in the body of the Deity who had been killed were [as follows]:
- ↑ Shiri-kume-naha, i.e., rope made of straw drawn up by the roots, which stick out from the end of the rope. Straw-ropes thus manufactured are still used in certain ceremonies and are called shime-naha, a corruption of the Archaic term. Motowori’s explanation shows that this is more likely to be the proper signification of the word than “back-limiting-rope” (shiri-he-kagiri-me-naha), which had been previously suggested by Mabuchi with reference to its supposed origin at the time of the event narrated in this legend.
- ↑ Motowori plausibly conjectures the character 得 in the concluding words of this passage to be a copyist’s error for 復, and the translator has accordingly rendered it by the English word “again.” As it stands, the clause 自得照明, though making sense, does not read like the composition of a Japanese.
- ↑ I.e., “an immense fine,” The student should consult Motowori’s elaborate note on this passage in vol. IX. pp. 1–5 of his Commentary. Tables of gifts are mentioned in Sect. XXXVII. Note 7 and Sect. XL. Note 13.
- ↑ Oho-ge-tsu-hime-no-kami. This personage (but without the title of “Deity”) has already appeared in Section V. (Note 8) as the alternative personal name of the Island of Aha.
