Page:Kojiki by Chamberlain.djvu/178

In the above papagraph the children of the Great-Harvest-Deity, from the Deity August-Spirit-of-the-Great-Land down to the Great-Earth-Deity, are altogether sixteen Deities.

The Deity Swift-Mountain-Dwelling^[1] wedded the Deity Princess-of-Great-Food,^[2] and begot children: the Deity Young-Mountain-Integrator;^[3] next the Young-Harvest-Deity;^[4] next his younger sister the Young-Rice-Transplanting-Female-Deity;^[5] next the Water-Sprinkling-Deity;^[6] next the Deity-of-the-High-Sun-of-Summer,^[7] another name for whom is the Female-Deity-of-Summer;^[8] next the Autumn-Princess;^[9] next the Deity Stem-Harvest;^[10] next the Deity Lord-Stem-Tree-Young-House-Rope.^[11]

In the above paragraph the children of the Deity Swift-Mountain-Dwelling, from the Deity Young-Mountain-Integrator down to the Deity Lord-Young-House-Rope,^[12] are altogether eight Deities.

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1. See Note 28.
2. See Sect. V, Note 8. The fact that this goddess is related to have been previously killed (see Sect. XVII) causes Motowori some embarrassment.
3. Waka-yama-kuhi-no-kami.
4. Waka-toshi-no-kami. Motowori proposes (considering this name in connection with the four that follow) to take waka-toshi in this place in the signification of “the first sprouting” of the young rice. The five deities whose birth is here mentioned seem collectively to represent the natural succession of agricultural operations throughout the year.
5. Waka-sa-na-me-no-kami.
6. Midzu-maki-no-kami.
7. Natsu-taka-tsu-hi-no-kami. Motowori’s interpretation of hi as “wondrous” is perhaps as good as that here adopted, according to which it signifies “sun.” His view would give us in English “the Summer-High-Wondrous-Deity.”
8. Natsu-no-me-no-kami.
9. Aki-bime-no-kami.
10. Kuku-toshi-no-kami. The word kuku, “stem,” seems to allude to the length of the well-grown rice.
11. Kuku-ki-waka-muro-tsuna-ne-no-kami. Motowori supposes this god to have been the protector of houses, and interprets the name to denote the beams, and the ropes with which the beams were bound together. The word here read tsuna, “rope,” is written with the character, 葛, and might perhaps be readered “pueraria.” But as in early times the tendrils of such creeping plants formed the only substitute for rope, the two renderings come to have very nearly the same signification.
12. The name is here abbreviated in the original to Waka-muro-tsuna-ne-no-kami.