Storybook Favorites

 I chose the three stories discussed in this post because their titles intrigued me. The first, Goddess of the Rising Sun: Amaterasu, is from Japanese mythology. This story was completely new to me, as most of the mythology I know is Greek, Roman, Egyptian, or Norse. This myth also interested me because in most mythologies, the sun is masculine and the moon is feminine. In Japanese mythology, the sun is a Goddess and the moon is a God. This storybook was very well written, and it drew me in and made me want to know more about Amaterasu and her brothers, Tsukuyomi and Susanoo. Tsukuyomi is the moon God, who was banished for an unforgivable crime, which is why it will never be day and night at the same time. Susanoo was banished to the underworld, Yomi. 

                                                    Amaterasu Emerging From the Cave

The second story, The Lost Tales of the Avatar, tells the story of Wan Shi Tong, he-who-knows-ten-thousand-things, and Koh, the face stealer. These stories are from the show Avatar the Last Airbender. The author of this storybook notes that the tale of Wan Shi Tong is very similar to the tale of the Spirit-Guarded Cave. The author also writes that Koh, the face stealing spirit, bears a resemblance to the Noppera-bō. In Japanese mythology, Noppera-bō, are faceless trickster spirits.

In the third story, The Gods and Goddesses of Daily Life, the author takes the form of Janus, a minor god representing endings and beginnings. The author tells the stories of how Hestia and the Horae (three goddesses, Eirene, Dike, Eunomia), were called upon only after praying to the 'Big 12' did not work. The author also writes about Iris, who, despite carrying messages from humans to the gods, gets almost no recognition and no prayers. These goddesses are overlooked in most cases, yet they show up to provide help to those who ask. 

                                                            Iris, the Messenger Goddess

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