Myths And Legends Of Snake Women example essay topic

Myths and Legends of Japan Japan has many myths believed to be true by the Japanese culture. Such as: 'You can tell a person's character from their blood type'. The Japanese creation myth starts off with brother and sister gods Izanagi and Izanagi. They dipped a spear into the churning sea and when they pulled it out the drops that fell on the water surface became the islands of Japan. Next the sun goddess Amaterasu, was created and was soon sent to heaven to rule over the world. She some time ago left the universe in darkness and chaos.

Amaterasu sent her grandson to calm Japan, giving him the sacred mirror, sword, and jewel, which became imperial motifs. In Japanese mythology there are a lot of things that can make up a myth. Japanese myths frequently include serpents in them. There are tales of woman turning into snakes. Not all myths are about snakes. But most of the time when people think about Japanese mythology, they might think of snakes because they are so closely connected with the Japanese myths ordinarily.

There are two different types of snake women; ones that are evil are ones that are good. One closely related story to the snake woman is that there is a palace under the sea at the very depth:" A snake woman lives there who is believed to be the daughter of the sea god. Any man who goes down and meets her there she marries and she takes good care of them. When the man has to return to his world she gives him special powers or wealth. There is a story of a snake woman that every Japanese school child knows. It starts with a young boy fishing one night and catches a multicolored turtle and he brings it home.

The next morning he wakes up, not to see the turtle but a beautiful woman in place of it. He is then asked by the snake woman to come down to the sea and live with him. He lives with her for three years and he gets homesick so he asks the snake woman if he can return home. She says yes and gives him a box and she says if you want to come back down and live with me again then you cannot open the box. The turtle then guides him back to his village. He looks around and sees that this is not his village and then he realizes three centuries have past and he opens the box and immediately his hair turns white and his skin wrinkles and then his body withers away into dust".

The snake legends vary in time periods. Not all snake legends happen in Japan some legends happen in Europe and many other places. Snake legends are not widely spread today as they were centuries ago but they are still remembered in some places. I have not heard of many snake legends myself but I like them. This then concludes my section on the Japanese myths of snake women. This myth proves that in order to get something you must be able to give up something.

Just as he got happiness he gave up his childhood years, the most important years of ones life. Every myth has a twist at the end and the twist in this myth was that little box in which he was asked not to open, and when he did he grew old. I think this myth is trying to say capture the moment, and live life, or something just might come and take it from you. This myth may seem meaningless to others but to the Japanese culture it represents them.

I believe that these myths and legends of snake women are very interesting and they can catch your attention. If you get a chance to read a story of a snake woman you will find that it is very interesting..