await its coming. When the time came, the serpent actually appeared. It had an eight-forked head and an eight-forked tail; its eyes were red, like the winter-cherry;[1] and on its back firs and cypresses were growing. As it crawled it extended over a space of eight hills and eight valleys. Now when it came and found the sake, each head drank up one tub, and it became drunken and fell asleep. Then Sosa no wo no Mikoto drew the ten-span sword which he wore, and chopped the serpent into small pieces. When he came to the tail, the edge of his sword was slightly notched, and he therefore split open (I. 52.) the tail and examined it. In the inside there was a sword. This is the sword which is called Kusa-nagi no tsurugi.[2]
In one writing it is said:—"Its original name was Ama no Mura-kumo no tsurugi."[3]
[It perhaps received this name from the clouds constantly gathering over the place where the serpent was. In the time of the Imperial Prince Yamato-dake its name was changed to Kusa-nagi no tsurugi.]
Sosa no wo no Mikoto said:—"This is a divine sword. How can I presume to appropriate it to myself?" So he gave it up to the Gods of Heaven.[4]
After this he went in search of a place where he might celebrate his marriage, and at length came to Suga, in the province of Idzumo. Then he spoke, and said:—"My heart is refreshed." Therefore that place is now called Suga.[5] There he built a palace.
One version says:—"Now Take[6] Sosa no wo no Mikoto composed a verse of poetry, saying:—
On all sides a manifold fence,
To receive within it the spouses,
- ↑ Hirata thinks that the akakagachi, here translated, on the authority of the "Original Commentary," by "red winter-cherry," was really a kind of snake.
- ↑ The grass-mower. See Index—Kusa-nagi.
- ↑ The sword of the gathering clouds of Heaven.
- ↑ It is hardly necessary to point out the resemblance of this story to that of Perseus and Andromeda, and many others.
- ↑ Suga means pure, fresh.
- ↑ Fierce.
