One day Susa saw a
chopstick floating down the river Hi and figured that the people up north
needed help. He journeyed far into a great forest where he met a grey bearded
man, an old crone and a fair maiden weeping. Susa stopped to greet them asking
if they are mortal or God? For no Mortal ever set foot in the forest. The man
answered, he was Ashinadzuchi
(Foot-stroke Elder) son of the mountain God and his wife was Tenadzuchi (Hand-stroke Elder)
and their daughter was Kushinada-hime
(Wondrous-fair Princess).
They
explained that they had 8 daughters and every year they had to sacrifice a
daughter to the eight forked serpent of koshi, who would come and eat them and
now they were down to their last daughter. The beast has great red eyes like a
ripe mountain cherry and blood inflamed body, armed with eight fearsome heads
and eight forked tails. Its back is overgrown with trees and its coils cover
eight valleys and mountains.
Susa
agreed to kill this dragon for the hand of their beautiful daughter. He then
took the daughters hand and turned her into a many-toothed comb, which he put
in his hair. He then had the crone produce sake of great strength (8 times) and
fashioned together 8 doors. When the monster arrived it lapped up the sake and
soon became very drunk and very tired. When the beast had fallen asleep Susa
chopped him up into a thousand pieces and found a great sword in the tail of the
serpent. He then went on to transform the comb back into the fair maiden and
they married.
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| Snake from Wikipedia |
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