The story I liked this week was The Miraculous Mirror from the Japanese Mythology unit. I thought the character of Amaterasu was unique for the various powers she possessed. The power she had that contributed to the majority of this story was her light giving abilities. She was the Sun Goddess that brought light to the land. Unfortunately for her, Susa-no-wo decided to come crash her party for no real given reason. This frightened Amaterasu so much that she went into hiding and with her went the light of the land. To get Amaterasu back out in the world, the people and gods had to work together. By the help of the Goddess of Laughter, they coaxed Amaterasu slowly from her hiding place. Together, they convinced the Sun Goddess that there was a better goddess outside. This was where the mirror came in because they "showed" her the rival goddess in the mirror. In actuality, the mirror showed the Sun Goddess a reflection of herself. This trick was enough to get Amaterasu out from the cave and the cave was sealed behind her. In result, the people got what they wanted which was light back to their world.
The elements that I would like to incorporate from this story would be the interaction between the gods and common people. They create a dynamic where when together, they are stronger. The will of the people brought about the inclusion of the Goddess of Laughter, so their need and want for the Sun to be returned helped to push the story forward in a direction where the light would be out in the open once again. The fact that they used a mirror to convince Amaterasu to leave the cave is a reminder that even simple items can play an important role in a story like this.
Bibliography
Image Information: Sun Goddess painting by Utagawa
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