this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2025
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Susanoo kills the Yamata no Orochi (Utagawa Kuniteru)

Susanoo (スサノオ, ), often referred to by the honorific title Susanoo-no-Mikoto ([sɯ̥.sa.noꜜː no mʲi.ko.to]), is a kami in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese imperial line, he is a multifaceted deity with contradictory characteristics (both good and bad), being portrayed in various stories either as a wild, impetuous god associated with the sea and storms, as a heroic figure who killed a monstrous serpent, or as a local deity linked with the harvest and agriculture. Syncretic beliefs of the Gion cult that arose after the introduction of Buddhism to Japan also saw Susanoo becoming conflated with deities of pestilence and disease.

Susanoo, alongside Amaterasu and the earthly kami Ōkuninushi (also Ōnamuchi) – depicted as either Susanoo's son or scion depending on the source – is one of the central deities of the imperial Japanese mythological cycle recorded in the Kojiki (c. 712 CE) and the Nihon Shoki (720 CE). One of the gazetteer reports (Fudoki) commissioned by the imperial court during the same period these texts were written, that of Izumo Province (modern Shimane Prefecture) in western Japan, also contains a number of short legends concerning Susanoo or his children, suggesting a connection between the god and this region.

In addition, a few other myths also hint at a connection between Susanoo and the Korean Peninsula.

Attributes

Susanoo is a tumultuous deity at heart, and his chaotic moods and disheveled appearance are direct reflections of his status as the god of storms. The seas surrounding South Japan—where many of his shrines are located—reflect these attributes. Like many storm, wind, and sea kami who serve under him, Susanoo can be both benevolent and malevolent. Despite this seeming moral ambivalence, he remains one of Japanese mythology’s most celebrated heroes. In what is now his most famous feat, he fought and slew the fearsome eight-headed dragon, Yamata-no-Orochi, killing it with his famed ten-span sword, a Totsuka-no-Tsurugi.

As the son of Izanagi, he holds dominion over spirits of thunder, lighting, storms, winds, and the sea.

Imperial Regalia and Shrines

Susanoo wielded the famed sword Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the Grass-Cutter, also known as Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds. After drawing it from the corpse of Orochi, he gave it to his sister as a sign of penance. This blade eventually found its way to the Japanese Imperial Family and is now kept at Amaterasu’s shrine at Ise.

Birth and Banishment

Izanagi fled from Yomi, where he had gone to retrieve his wife. After blocking the entrance to prevent her escape, Izanagi went to a nearby hot spring and cleansed himself of Yomi’s impurities. It was during this cleansing ritual that Izanagi inadvertently gave birth to three new and powerful kami: Amaterasu, the sun goddess, and Tsukuyomi, the moon god, were born from his eyes, and Susanoo, the god of storms and seas, was born from his nose. Izanagi set these three gods at the head of the heavenly bureaucracy and selected Susanoo as its guardian.

It soon became apparent that Susanoo was too stormy to remain in the highly-ordered Heavens. Following this realization, Izanagi proceeded to banish his son, a sentence that Susanoo accepted. Before he left, however, Susanoo went to say goodbye to his sister Amaterasu, with whom he regularly quarreled.

Amaterasu was suspicious of his sincerity, and Susanoo challenged her to a contest to prove it. They would take the other’s object and see who could create the best kami. Amaterasu took his sword and created three women; from her necklace, Susanoo created five men. This proved a trick on her part: she claimed that because the necklace was hers, the men were hers. Meanwhile, the women she had produced from his sword were his. Thanks to her clever interpretation of the rules, Amaterasu won the contest.

Enraged by this result, Susanoo went on a destructive rampage. He destroyed his sister’s rice field before flaying one of her horses and hurling its body at her sacred loom. This thrown horse killed one of her handmaidens and caused Amaterasu to flee in grief. Susanoo was banished following his rampage, but without Amaterasu, the world remained dark and stormy.

Orochi and Penance

Then Susanoo no Mikoto descended from Heaven and proceeded to the head-waters of the River Hi, in the province of Idzumo [sic]. At this time he heard a sound of weeping at the head-waters of the river, and he went in search of the sound. -Kojiki, translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain

Following his fall from the Heavens, Susanoo landed in Izumo and was taken in by an elderly couple. He soon learned of their troubles - of their eight daughters, seven had been devoured by a terrible eight-headed dragon of the sea, Yamata-no-Orochi. Their eighth daughter, Kushinada-hime would soon be sacrificed as well. Susanoo would not stand for this, however, and sought to end the couple’s despair. As they prepared for Orochi’s coming, Susanoo turned Kushinada-hime into a comb and put her in his hair. Meanwhile, the elderly couple placed a tub of sake outside for the dragon to drink. When Orochi drank the sake and fell asleep, Susanoo cut him into pieces. As he split the dragon’s tail, he saw a sword, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, emerge.

Following these events, the grateful couple married Kushinada-hime to Susanoo. Now seeking to make amends with Amaterasu, the storm god presented her with Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi as a sign of his penance.

Once amends were made, Susanoo’s father Izanagi presented him with one final task: he must take Izanagi’s place as guardian of Yomi. Susanoo accepted the position, and to this day serves as the guardian of the gateway to the Land of the Dead. It is for this reason, in addition to their inherently violent nature, that storms are often associated with death in Japanese culture.

reminders:

  • 💚 You nerds can join specific comms to see posts about all sorts of topics
  • 💙 Hexbear’s algorithm prioritizes comments over upbears
  • 💜 Sorting by new you nerd
  • 🐶 Join the unofficial Hexbear-adjacent Mastodon instance toots.matapacos.dog

Links To Resources (Aid and Theory):

Aid:

Theory:

(page 2) 50 comments
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[–] MF_COOM@hexbear.net 11 points 1 month ago

I'd love to know what the people who knock on locked bathroom doors are trying to figure out

[–] Wmill@hexbear.net 11 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Today I came home very hungry so I made some lentil bolognese, ate 1 plate, put the rest away after family ate and washed the pot. I fucking got this so much, ballads shall be written of my legendary focus and culinary dark arts.

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[–] vegeta1@hexbear.net 11 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Trump's memo saying they dont have enough money for food stamps while likely prepping for a war with Venezuela is why I can never take most yanks seriously

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[–] CanYouFeelItMrKrabs@hexbear.net 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I want to post here more since you all are cool

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[–] TrippyFocus@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 month ago

Really want to see the next God of War series be Kratos vs the Japanese gods. Fighting Susanoo would be pretty wild.

[–] PowerLurker@hexbear.net 10 points 1 month ago

alright arguing with Democrats on here was fun for a bit, I get that Zohran was an immediate W for them, but I think there should be some kind of general metapost about any kind of defense whatsoever of Graham "served four tours in the warcrime factory and am proud of it" Platner. even before the nazi tattoo, his military career and his relationship to it should have stomped out even the most critical of support. i know, i know, metaposting and bringing current struggle sessions to the comm, snipe this post if you need to, but I hope this feedback is taken to heart even if you've gotta take it down.

[–] SuperZutsuki@hexbear.net 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Just told the most normal-looking, middle-aged white lady about the trains in Japan and she, without hesitation, said, "That's what we need over here!" She's never been out of the US and yet even she yearns for the trains. train-shining

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[–] Goblinmancer@hexbear.net 10 points 1 month ago (2 children)

British empire fans when they get transported back in time and get press ganged to row boats (they walked alone near a port)

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[–] Wmill@hexbear.net 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I've given up on ever being in a relationship and just being happy by myself and then I go on to dream tonight about flirting and finally figuring that shit out. No sorry don't got time for that too busy chasing my dreams (my other dreams)

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[–] RION@hexbear.net 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Love the idea of hosting pictures of black mold on Pinterest. Yeah I'll stick that on my mood board

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[–] GalaxyBrain@hexbear.net 10 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Going through some horror faves cause October. I forgot how fucking awesome Messiah of Evil is. Big favorite cult horror. I love 70s low budget stuff. It just feels so slimy and gross

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[–] FidelChadstro@hexbear.net 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I was today years old when I learned Sirhan B Sirhan: is alive, is Palestinian, and originally stated he shot RFK due to his support for Israel (which the media portrayed as an antisemitic attack). But also there are claims he was hypnotized at the time of the shooting and he now claims to not remember any of it

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[–] lelkins@lemmygrad.ml 10 points 1 month ago (10 children)

my rig has been overheating since yesterday. tried cleaning dust and shit, istg if i have to repaste both cpu and gpu >:/

i barely have money for MORE paste, i have 3 dabs of mx2 left

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[–] Wmill@hexbear.net 10 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Sobriety thoughts: man fuck drugs as boring as my life is I at least got a very active imagination, I don't think I'd give it up anymore just to chase a funny state of mind. This de-inland-empire will always be my goat over de-electrochemistry I know people have done drugs to see weird shit but I don't need that just need think-about-it

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[–] hexaflexagonbear@hexbear.net 10 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Telling my wife I’ll be with my secret family for a week and just playing video games the whole time.

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[–] moonlake@hexbear.net 10 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Hot take: there is no such thing as free will. Everything that happens in your life is predetermined by a combination of:

  1. Is your family loving or dysfunctional
  2. Are you born rich or poor
  3. How hot/tall are you
  4. Where you were born

d20-ah-fuck

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[–] hexaflexagonbear@hexbear.net 10 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I know I shouldn’t pay attention to what the feed is giving me, but I keep seeing harebrained articles that are like “zoomers are rebelling against millennials by rejecting woke and inventing stuff like sexism and saying slurs” like did you hit your head? I love how there’s an imagined past now where millennials have always been woke and never said a slur. The generational aspect of the culture war is just fan fiction.

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[–] Grownbravy@hexbear.net 10 points 1 month ago

We’ve reached levels of defeatism never once thought possible.

john-agony

[–] Wmill@hexbear.net 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I fight urges so strong they'd make catatonic your average poster.

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[–] KuroXppi@hexbear.net 10 points 1 month ago

Imma keep it real with you OfficeWorks im not gunna ask about your Great Deals on SnapDragon AI-enhanced HP OmniBook laptops kermit-pain

[–] Wmill@hexbear.net 10 points 1 month ago (4 children)

@GalaxyBrain@hexbear.net this physics professor was all "well their methodology was wrong because they measured temps near smoke stacks" wtf also he was a scientologist so yeah. I remember something party-parenti about how in academia you can have the most learned people but they narrow down to just their field and think they can talk about other studies with authority anyway

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[–] LocalMaxima@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago

blind item: This marine from maritime Maine dodged the ‘poverty draft’ after getting a $200k loan from the Bank of his Dad.

(and then the next year he decided to work as merc)

[–] PowerLurker@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

someone out there should make a Best of the Cushvlogs: Detox Your Brain From the Internet edit/compilation aimed at terminally online socialists. i promise i'm not being catty at anyone in particular on here, or even toward this website specifically (haven't been on Left Twitter for years, but some of the shit main characters of the day got up to on there would make hexbear's most inane struggle sessions blush). 

I just think it would be good for a lot of people, I definitely needed to hear it at the time I was a regular viewer and it helped me sort my shit out tremendously. Matt rlly does have a beautiful mind, idk how someone made essentially a log of "how I learned to log off more and check out of The Spectacle (as someone who made a living off posting and engaging deeply with The Spectacle)" so psychologically and spiritually insightful. (obv that's an oversimplification of the cushvlogs but it has more than a grain of truth and helps the point i'm trying to make so shuddup)

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[–] uSSRI@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago (3 children)

On the weekend: zero poops

On monday: three poops on the clock so far, still a few hours might get to 4 poops

This is what peak anti-capitalist pooping looks like, get your guts like mine

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[–] HarryLime@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Love the Mad Men plotline where Sally goes to boarding school and starts turning into a nightmarish combination of the most evil personality traits of both her mom and dad, and the other girls are like "damn, you're cool."

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[–] CrispyFern@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

a rat can drive a mini car

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[–] Euergetes@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

a train should never be early

a train being late is regrettable but everyone who relies on it will be there. how can someone plan around a train randomly arriving ~5 minutes ahead of schedule? i literally left my aprt early today and misssd my usual train because it also left early. you cant win

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[–] mayakovsky@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Yesterday I commented that we should also judge platner for taking off his shirt in a bar, I've just been second-plane that he was also not wearing pants. None of these things, from the tattoo to the pants, can be excused

[–] KuroXppi@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Oye como va is actually a song about your uncle with male pattern baldness

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[–] Dort_Owl@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago

Was Hexbear down for anyone else yesterday? Hexbear is part of the AWS outage confirmed! This place is run by Amazon! I knew it! I'm on to you Bezos bastards!

[–] hexaflexagonbear@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Only now realizing that if a cheerleader is doing a very visible tick consistently (like an exaggerated shoulder shrug before a move) it’s a signal to their partner so they have consistent timing. They’re basically trained to be video game bosses. I wonder how good bottoms (idk what the cheerleaders that throw other cheerleaders are called, I know tops are flyers, but idk what bottoms are formally called) are at soulslike games.

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[–] BadTakesHaver@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Guy who goes to the annual New Vegas event meet up and crucifies himself up on a cross for hours to win the cosplay contest

[–] LocalOaf@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I hate being a Mariners fan yes-honey-left

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[–] GalaxyBrain@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago

Got to teach some fucking science at work! Our pasta pot boiled down to nothing but salt cause there was working being doing on the AC so we couldn't really check it often. Explaining that salt doesnt burn cause it doesnt contain carbon and then explaining what combustion is. Got to explain carbon as a sick little freak element that will bond with anyone

[–] CrispyFern@hexbear.net 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

all Gucci on the western front

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[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

First time in a long time I got actual death threats, lol.

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[–] KuroXppi@hexbear.net 8 points 1 month ago

Hb running v slowl I'm getting yellow spinny bear

[–] SevenSkalls@hexbear.net 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

So does Croatia have a lot of Nazis or something? I'm trying to figure out the odds of them having a Nazi tattoo on the wall, like Plattner said the story was.

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