Eldritch and Abominable

4 Responses to Eldritch and Abominable

1. TheWorldService61 says:

   January 12, 2011 at 10:39 pm

   John, in the article you said there is no representation of evil in the pantheon of Kami but I don’t think that’s strictly true. Isn’t there a spirit called the Amatsu-Mikaboshi or something? I seem to remember it was used as a character in Marvel Comics just like DC used Susanoo for Sandman or whatever.
2. J P Catton says:

   January 13, 2011 at 8:04 am

   Yes, there is an entity known as the Amatsu-Mikaboshi, sometimes called the Ame-no-Kagaseo. There was a fascinating article on this dude up at Wikipedia but they chopped it because there were NO FRIGGIN’ CITATIONS. Makes me wonder if Marvel Comics made the whole thing up. Is there anyone out there who knows more about this?
3. JHM says:

   August 2, 2011 at 10:25 am

   The Amatsu-Mikaboshi/Ame-no-Kagaseo is apparently mentioned a few times in the Nihon Shoki, but the information therein is pretty lean: It is/was a powerful and malevolent star-god that refused to pledge its allegience to the Heavenly Kami and was only defeated by the effort of at least three other deities. Furthermore, the small handful of shrines devoted to the being usually have its name listed as “bound” into the stone by that of at least one other (usually Takemikazuchi-no-kami), with the implication that having it “free” would be… *bad.*

   So, yeah. Not sure about the whole “primordial darkness” thing the old Wikipedia article talked about, but definitely *not* a pleasant fellow.
4. J P Catton says:

   August 3, 2011 at 8:31 am

   Thanks for your mail JHM! Could you give me some hints on where I might find those shrines or any more info on those three deities you mentioned?