shrinemaidens: EAST ASIAN MYTHOLOGY MEME: [5/8] JAPANESE GODS AND GODDESSES | AME NO UZUME Ame no Uz

shrinemaidens:EAST ASIAN MYTHOLOGY MEME: [5/8] JAPANESE GODS AND GODDESSES | AME NO UZUMEAme no Uzume [天鈿女命] is the goddess of dawn, mirth and revelry in the Shinto religion of Japan. She famously relates to the tale of the missing sun deity, Amaterasu.Amaterasu’s brother, the storm god Susanoo, had vandalized her rice fields, threw a flayed horse at her loom, and brutally killed one of her maidens due to a quarrel between them. In turn, Amaterasu became furious with him and retreated into the Heavenly Rock Cave, Amano-Iwato. The world, without the illumination of the sun, became dark and the gods could not lure Amaterasu out of her hiding place. It was then that the clever Uzume overturned a tub near the cave entrance and began a dance on it, tearing off her clothing in front of the other deities. They considered this so comical that they laughed heartily at the sight. Amaterasu heard them, and peered out to see what all the fuss was about. When she opened the cave, she saw her glorious reflection in a mirror which Uzume had placed on a tree, and slowly emerged from her hiding spot. At that moment, the god Ame no Tajikarawo dashed forth and closed the cave behind her, refusing to budge so that she could no longer retreat. Another god tied a magic straw rope across the entrance. Other deities then asked Amaterasu to rejoin the divine. She agreed, and light was restored to the earth. -- source link

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