(589) Tales of Big Snakes #2 The Eight-headed Dragon

Boa constrictors are native to South America.

How about our Japan? Are there, were there any big snakes?

Have a look at next picture. A man in white is fighting with snakes. It is YamatanoOrochi. The eight-headed Dragon. The man is a god called "Susano-o". He killed the big snake which had eight heads and eight tails.

Pic. 1

落語で読む古事記 はじまりは高天原 スサノオノミコトとクサナギノツルギ

• 出版社/メーカー: PHP研究所
• 発売日: 2019/04/24
• メディア: Kindle版

He was cutting through one of the snake's middle tails when he found a sacred, shining sword inside.

 
Pic. 2

This sword became one of the Three Imperial Regalia. The sword is called Grass-Cutting Sword, and is enshrined at Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya.

Pic. 3

Replica of the Three Imperial Regalia in Yushinden（又新殿）of Dogo hot spring

Behind the throne, we can see a part of the sword (left) and a low stand on which the Comma-Shaped Gem (middle), and the Sacred Mirror (right). 

After reading the oldest history book, called "Kojiki", I'll show you the summary.

古事記物語―若い人への古典案内 (現代教養文庫)

• 作者: 太田善麿
• 出版社/メーカー: 社会思想社
• 発売日: 2023/09/11
• メディア: 文庫

日本の神話―Japanese myths 【講談社英語文庫】

• 作者: ラルフ・マッカーシー
• 出版社/メーカー: 講談社インターナショナル
• 発売日: 1999/06/18
• メディア: 文庫

The eight-headed snake was killed in Age of Mythology, that it, more than 3000 years ago.

To be continued to issue #3