Susano'o no Mikoto

**Susano'o no Mikoto** is one of the most famous members of the Mikoto Clan as one of the Three Great Kami alongside Tsukuyomi no Mikoto and Amaterasu no Mikoto. A troublesome god, he was banished from Takamagahara and went on a journey to redeem himself, slaying Yamata-no-Orochi in the process and restoring peace in the land of Izumo.

## History

Susanoo was one of the gods born when the god Izanagi returned from Yomi, the land of the dead. Susanoo leapt from Izanagi's nose while the god purified himself of the impurities of the underworld. His sister, Amaterasu, was born from Izanagi's left eye and his brother Tsukuyomi was born from his right eye.

Izanagi gave Susanoo the government of the seas, but Susanoo was not satisfied. Amaterasu received the sun and Tsukuyomi the moon. Annoyed, Susanoo promised to join his mother Izanami in the underworld. Irritated by Susanoo's ingratitude, Izanagi ends up banishing him from heaven. However, leaving peacefully would go against Susanoo's stormy nature. Jealous of his sister, Susanoo challenged Amaterasu to a contest, where whoever managed to create more gods would be the winner. Amaterasu takes Susanoo's sword and breaks it into three pieces, which she eats and then spits on the ground. A mist forms, and from that mist three goddesses emerge. Susanoo in turn tears off Amaterasu's pearl necklace and breaks each of them with his teeth, giving rise to five gods. Susanoo declared himself the winner of the dispute, but Amaterasu did not accept the decision, since once the five gods had emerged from their jewels, obviously, she was stronger.

Susanoo caused rioting across the land, claiming he was the winner of the competition. It flooded rice fields and caused great destruction. He even contaminated the temple where the rice harvest was performed, defecating on it. Finally, he skinned a live horse, and then threw it into a room where Amaterasu was weaving with his assistants. One of them passed out at the sight. Furious, Amaterasu fled to a dark cave, leaving the land in complete darkness. The sun would not shine again until she was persuaded to leave.

Meanwhile, the other gods became increasingly irritated with Susanoo, and tired of his actions, finally stripped him of all his possessions and banished him from heaven.

Other stories tell what happened to Susanoo after he was expelled from heaven. In some of these stories, Susanoo is a hero rather than an irritable or troubled villain. These two personalities may be the result of different local traditions. It is also said that when he acted in an evil way, Susanoo followed the wishes of his wicked soul, called Ara-mi-tama; when he was good, he followed the wishes of his good soul, called Nigi-mi-tama.

Susanoo's most famous story tells of his terrible battle against the dragon snake Yamata-no-Orochi. After his banishment, Susanoo went to the land of Izumo, and there he met an old couple in tears on the banks of the Hi river, together with a beautiful young woman. After asking the couple about why they were weeping, they said: “We are terrestrial deities, and this is my daughter, the prodigious princess Kushinada. An eight-headed dragon, called Yamata no Orochi, requires me to give my daughters to him in sacrifice. Seven have already been devoured and now I must hand over the last one to him." Susanoo asked if he would give Kushinada's hand in marriage if he helped and the elders readily agreed.

With what was left of his divine powers, Susanoo turned Kushinada into a comb, and pinned it to her hair to keep her safe. Then he filled eight pots with sake (in another version of the story, they say the sake was previously poisoned) and placed them inside a platform surrounded by a fence with eight openings. When Yamata-no-Orochi arrived to devour the girl, he found the sake barrels instead. The dragon eagerly consumed the sake until he was completely drunk and passed out. Thus, Yamata-no-Orochi was left completely vulnerable, allowing Susanoo to kill him.

With his sword, he cut off each of the dragon's eight heads. The sacred orb of life, the Magatama, fell from the dragon's womb. Underneath the scales of his tail, Susanoo found the sacred sword, Kusanagi no Tsurugi, and from the last severed head, a tear rolled into a mirror. Susanoo gave the Kusanagi sword as a gift to his sister Amaterasu, as a gift of reconciliation. The Magatama jewel was left in Izumo, and the mirror was given to Princess Yata, Kushinada's younger sister. These three objects are now known as "The Three Sacred Treasures of Japan" and are said to be preserved in the Tokyo Imperial Palace.

## Personality

He was a really undesirable deity for humans and even figured in the Shinto pantheon as a decidedly disturbing god. His character and personality were described in Nihongi (2nd oldest book on the history of Japan), more clearly and clearly than any other deity. Susanoo was endowed with an extremely evil nature, which often resulted in very cruel actions. The curious thing is that, despite his wickedness, he was in the habit of crying and wailing frequently because of his desire to meet his mother whom he had never gotten the chance to see. Just as a child in a rage reduces a toy to pieces, Susanoo in an increasing rage could reduce entire mountains to dust, causing the death of many people and animals.

## Appearance

Susano'o wore a cuirass using a two plate design, covered with a tight sleeved formal coat, fastened with straw rope. The plates were made from black lacquered platelets laced together with black string. The additional flourishes such as the imported velvet mantle and the leather sword belt reflects the tastes of a youthful Susano'o. The gauntlet he wore was made from long, thin, black lacquered iron pieces sewn together and bound with straw rope. Only a single glove is worn, to facilitate the easy handling of a bow. His waistguard had knee guards consisting solely of platelet tassets suspended from the waist. As Susano'o was fond on long journeys on horseback after his descent into Asiyah, heavy thigh armor would have only served as an obstacle of his divine speed. One leg was protected with a poleyn and a series of long, thin iron plates, while the other was wrapped in hardened leather, held together with a broad leather cord. This odd combination is designed to aid in the stable firing of a bow while crouched, but it is also well-matched to Susanoo's outlandish and distinctive tastes.

## Abilities

**Greater Lord Physiology**: As deities that are widely worshipped by humans or other beings, greater lords are a higher tier of the deity classification. They generally rule over one or more concepts to a more significant level than their lesser counterparts. They are able to achieve things that other people simply cannot: creating realms, weapons or objects of divine or demonic power out of nothing but their own essence as if it were child's play. While not as powerful as a Demiurge, they still have a great deal of influence and control over a certain aspect of something, be it a particular mythology or the world that they live in. Their speed, strength, coordination and other physical capabilities are otherworldly, allowing them to easily compete with the greatest angels, spirits, demons or anything otherwise. Like angels, their blood consists of aureum, a substance that is harmful to beings that either harbor or were created from negative energy. They are a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield and only grow stronger through the worship that they receive.