A Study Of Japanese Swan-maiden Stories

In Japan,there are many fairytales about swan-maidens,the three most famous stories are included in the books of Ouminokuni Fudoki,Tangonokuni Fudoki and Suruganokuni Fudoki,with a fourth style of story that is indigenous to Okinawa.These stories are very popular in Japan,and some possess elements of Shintoism and deer totems,while some are part of specific clan origin stories,stories which have been handed down from generation to generation.Japanese people believe that The Imperial House of Japan is the offspring of God,who created the Japanese territory and nation.In ancient Japan,powerful clans used stories of marriages between their ancestors and fairies as evidence of their sacred royal blood,which could then bring them closer to the emperor,improving their status and power.Swan-maiden stories spread to Japan from China passing through the Korean peninsula.On the way,different aspects of Chinese and Korean culture,including the �Nuo� culture of sorcery,agricultural customs,and Deer totem beliefs,influenced the development of these stories.Ouminokuni Fudoki preserved some original parts from the Chinese stories,like a �female bird�,�bathing� and the idea of �a fairy falling in love with a man�,these plots originating from Chinese bird totem beliefs and the �Nuo� culture.However,Japanese swan-maiden stories are inseparable from Deer totemism,because they are related to the Nakatomi clan's hereditary vocational skills in ancient times.The swan-maiden story of Tanbanokuni Fudoki was a new type of story,the result of an evolution of the Chinese stories being integrated into Japanese mythology: some typical plots were changed,for example,the plot of "a fairy falling in love with a man" was replaced by the plot of "an old couple adopting a fairy".This change of plot was caused by the legend of �Toyouke Omikami�,the great god.�Toyoukebime� was a fairy in Tangonokuni Fudoki.Her greatest task was to serve �Toyouke Omikami�,therefore she had to keep her virginity.In ancient Japan,a sorceress who served a god was called "the Queen of Fasting".The practice of her ablutions can be seen in this Swan maiden tale,because Toyoukebime was a sorceress qualified to serve god.The god whom she served,was also called �KuninotokotachinoMikoto� or�Amenominakanushihe�,and as �Toyouke Omikami� is known as the god of the universe,the highest god.This swan-maiden story explains Toyoukebime's two qualifications for serving this god: first,well water used for the ablution of the body is equally sacred as heaven's water,so it helped Toyoukebime keep her body clean and virginal.Second,Toyoukebime could make miraculous wine,capable of curing all diseases,meaning she had magical ability.In Suruganokuni Fudoki,other elements from Chinese mythology,like the idea of immortality,was mixed with Shintoism to form the third famous swan maiden story.In Okinawa there are stories about sorceresses helping kings or the emperors.Some swan-maiden stories of Okinawa and some legends of the birth of the Ryukyu(the ancient name of Okinawa)kings have a close relationship.Because of its location,the Ryukyu Kingdom incorporated moreaspects of foreign religions,like �the Sun King�,�the Sister God�,�Uka God�,�bensaitennyo� or �kumanogongen� through communication with China and Korea,and these factors promoted the rise of the Ryukyu Kingdom's sorceress culture.Therefore swan-maiden stories became an important chapter in the history of the Ryukyu Kingdom.