Yamatanoorochi - Tumblr Posts

Susanoo slaying the Yamata no Orochi, by Toyohara Chikanobu.

 In Japanese mythology, Susanoo, the powerful storm of Summer, is the brother of Amaterasu, the goddess of the Sun, and of Tsukuyomi, the god of the Moon.

 Yamata no Orochi , translated as the Eight-Forked Serpent in English, is a legendary 8-headed and 8-tailed Japanese dragon that was slain by the Shinto storm-god Susanoo.  After expulsion from Heaven, Susanoo encounters two "Earthly Deities" near the head of the Hi River, in Izumo Province. They are weeping because they were forced to give the Orochi one of their daughters every year for seven years, and now they must sacrifice their eighth, Kushi-inada-hime ...