The Goddess Who Fell by Lady Keiko Niwa

The Goddess Who Fell

We all know the story of creation, a story of heart break and sorrow. This story started with the first gods.

The first gods Kunitokotachi and Amenominakanushi summoned two divine beings into existence, the male Izanagi and the female Izanami, and charged them with creating the first land. To help them do this, Izanagi and Izanami were given a spear decorated with jewels, named Ame-no-nuboko. The two deities then went to the bridge between heaven and earth and churned the sea below with the spear. When drops of salty water fell from the spear, Onogoroshima was created. They descended from the bridge of heaven and made their home on the island.

Eventually they wished to be mated, so they built a pillar called Ame-no-mihashira and around it they built a palace called Yahiro-dono. Izanagi and Izanami circled the pillar in opposite directions, and when they met on the other side, Izanami spoke first in greeting. Izanagi didn't think that this was the proper thing to do, but they mated anyhow. They had two children, Hiruko and Awashima, but they were born deformed and are not considered deities.

They put the children into a boat and set them out to sea, then petitioned the other gods for an answer as to what they did wrong. They were told that the male deity should have spoken first in greeting during the marriage ceremony. So Izanagi and Izanami went around the pillar again, this time Izanagi speaking first when they meet, and their marriage was then successful. From their union were born the ōyashima, or the "great eight islands" of the Japanese chain. They bore six more islands and many deities.

Izanami died giving birth to the child Kagu-Tsuchi or Ho-Masubi. She was then buried on Mt. Hiba. So angry was Izanagi at the death of his wife that he killed the newborn child, thereby creating dozens of deities.

Izanagi lamented the death of Izanami and undertook a journey to Yomi to save his wife. Quickly, he searched for Izanami and found her. At first, Izanagi could not see her at all for the shadows of Yomi hid her appearance well. Nevertheless, he asked her to return with him. Izanami spat out at him, informing Izanagi that he was too late. She had already eaten the food of the underworld and was now one with the land of the dead. She could no longer return to the living.

Izanagi was shocked at this news but he refused to give in to her wishes of being left to the dark embrace of Yomi. While Izanami was sleeping, he took the comb that bound his long hair and set it alight as a torch. Under the sudden burst of light, he saw the horrid form of the once beautiful and graceful Izanami. She was now a rotting form of flesh with foul creatures running over her body.

Crying out loud, Izanagi could no longer control his fear and started to run, intending to return to the living and abandon his death-ridden wife. Izanami woke up shrieking and indignant and chased after him. Wild shikome, foul women and servents of Izanami, also hunted for the frightened Izanagi, instructed to bring him back.

Izanagi burst out of the entrance and quickly pushed a boulder in the mouth of the Yomotsuhirasaka. Izanami screamed from behind this impenetrable barricade and told Izanagi that if he left her she would destroy 1,000 residents of the living every day. He furiously replied he would give life to 1,500 in the same day.

What few know is what happened after, is that the great god Inari and his kitsune freed the entraped goddess, whose anger melted away the rotting flesh turning it into immortal flesh immune to rotting, her once rich honey turned midnight black, eyes at one time green now saphire blue, and her her complextion was no longer sunkissed; it was pale. Inari not knowing this new beauty for who she was, asked her to identive herself. Izanami's only reply was, "I am the goddess of the dead, I seek Izanagi, god of creation."

Inari, taken back from the statement, took the new goddess to heaven where the gods were gathering to morn the passing of Izanami. Appon her entry of heaven, Izanami realized the gods in morning. Izanagi was speaking to the assembled gods of her greatness. Choosing to interupt the assembled gods, and her mate, she spooked quietly carrying her voice above all.

"Why do you assemble for one who is not dead, but a true immortal. I, Izanami, goddess of creation and now the goddess of death, need not be morned for I shall always live."

All the assemble gods and Izanagi, turned to veiw the new goddess to grace the halls of heaven. Izanagi hastely bit out, "you are not my wife and mate."

Izanami turned cold eyes upon him and said, "oh, you traveled al the way to see my changing form, and once done you are discusted with what you see and run from your wife and mate." Continuing she also stated, "I have come for you, not because I harbor felling for you, because in your haste to leave you ate the food of my land and hence belong to me. No one but I knew of this dear brother."

In a fit of rage Inzangi screamed,"I disclaim everything you state hethen!!"

Amarerasu, ruler of the gods and the goddess of the sun, looked to Fukurokuju, god of wisdom and longivity, to settle the matter of the goddess claim of being Izanami by consulting his sacred book tie to his staff. As all looked on, Fukurokuju summoned the book to open to the page of the goddess who stood before him. He watched as the book that never lies opened to the page titled Izanami, goddess of creation. Next to the the line as stated goddess of death was added, and her name was no longer a black, like the ones that can die, but gold of the immortals. After he finished peering into the book of life, Fukurokuju looked to the the goddess and asked, "Izanami, how did you do it?"

Izanagi outraged that this creature was his beloved Izanami screamed, "I refuse to be mated to such a creature," and tried to storm away but was pinned to the spot by the new power of Izanami.

"Dear brother Fukurokuju, I gain this power by deffeting the voice of the land yomi. However, the power is so great that I can only stay on earth with the will of my mate or forced slumber," replied the quiet voice of Izanami. "but, Izanagi ate the food of the dead on his haste out of Yomi and hence belongs to Yomi and me."

Izanagi outraged yelled, "I am the god of the living and life as well as creation, to live in Yomi is against all I stand for."

Tsukiyomi, god of the moon and mate of Amaterasu, said, "how 'bout an even trade." Noticing the squalbling between the two. "If us gods remove the mating of you siblings and give Izanami the power to walk the three lands on her own if Izanami agrees to remove Yomi's claim on Izanagi."

"I will on one condition," answered the new goddess.

"That is?" asked Amaterasu.

"The god Izanagi has now heared the call off Yomi through the tainted food he ate there for the call he here now will forever be with him. The claim of imeadate death will be removed until a new god takes his place. He however no longer be immortal and must fear the blade." She paused to make all hear her next word. "If he dies in battle I ask that I not be held responcible for any death not my doing."

"You mean to say that should I fall in battle I will die, that is outragious!!"

For a forenight the heavens debated the terms of the deal until both the disputing gods agreed on the original terms and Izanami's new law of Yomi. Which she made in the following statement; "As my mating was severed in my death so will everyone eles's, no one execpt the holy rulers will be exempt from this new law of Yomi."

She later left the heavens to travil the three lands in peace. After sometime she became lonely and went to the holy rulers once more. There she pleaed to be given mate who will not just love her beauty, but her mind and soul as well.

The holy rulers noticed that she looked as if she had nothing to clining to, no life to live as a goddess. The gods thought that her request was impossible and said no. At this the goddess grew in dispair and refused to do her job. The gates of death closed and people lived in pain unknown to the living. The gods knew that the goddess sufered from a broken heart and that most of the world would sufer should they let this continue.

Tsukiyomi said he shall take care of such delema, and beseched the brother of his wife, Susanoo, to trick Izanagi to create a body fit for a god. Izanagi, believe to be making a body for Susanoo's expected heir, created the most purfect male he ever worked on. Once that was done and Tsukiyomi had the body, he took the body to Fukurokuju to give the body both a keen mind and Immortality. He then went to Kisshōten to bless the body with of beauty and male fertility. He then went to Ohoyamatsumi, the god of war, and ask to bless the body with the way of the sword. Finally, he went to Benten to bless him with purfectionin all things that flow( speech, words, eloquence, music, movement, ect.) and allowed poison to flow freely in his vains.

After his travels to the gods for the blessing's, he sat down and ponder his own gifts to male before him. He began by giving the male a soul of great power equal to the goddess of death. He then gave the body silver hair and gold eyes. For the final tuch, he placed his seal upon the forhead of the body. He then created a line of inu youkia, dog deamons, to which the male to be born to. 'Yes,' he thought, 'her mate will be one to walk the land of yomi freely in life as a dog deamon, the most loyal.'

Finished with his work he went, with the male and it ansestors, to Izanagi. Arriving at Izanagi's home he said , "Izanagi, I beseach you to give life to this line of youkia blessed with my seal."

"Why," answered Izanagi, angered at being tricked into help the holy ruler at the beginning of his quest, "should I give life to them when that creatures mate is among them?"

"Because, Izanagi, this is not a request as you assume," stated Tsukiyomi with a bord expression upon his features.

"You dare threaten me in my own home, oh holy ruler," came the seathing reply.

"No," came the curt reply, "I mearly state that you are a god who will one day go to yomi because you are not an immortal god. You will be replaced one day," called forth Tsukiyomi. "I just wonder do you wish for you death now."

Izanagi reconizing the threat for what it was said, "I shall do as you ask, but I shall place a curse upon this line that all male siblings shallhate each other and fight to the death. Lets hope you blessed the chossen mate well."

Statisfied, Tsukiyomi returned to heaven to tell the goddess of goddess of death that her mate shall be born in do time, leaving out the curse of Izanagi. Greatful the goddess the goddess bowed and gave her thanks. The whole of the world returned to it original course, but the minor pain experianced by all remained as a reminder that this all could happen again.

Before she left the heavens she turned to the holy ruler, and asked the only queastion that bothered. "How shall I know him?"

Tsukiyomi thought for a second and said, "you shall know him when he says, 'I follow the crede of death' in battle, and he carries my seal of blessing." Silence issued among the two and was broken by Tsukiyomi's queastion, "Dear goddess, what is it that you call your self now?"

Looking to the god that is her brother, she said, "I chose my name to be kagome."

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This story has been at the forfront of my mind for a while. I figure I write it and get it over with and I have a total of twenty chapters writen. I suck at typing so its going to take a long time to type.

I hope you all had/have a good holiday season, I sure ain't, with my mothers stroke and upcoming brain surgury.

Hey flame me but be kind, I get evil, believe me, I tend not to kid. You got any queastions as to the gods mentioned PM me I'll try to answer your queastion to the best of my knowledge. Trust me I can answer a lot. I've done a lot of resurch on Japanese culture, history, myths, fairie-tales, and art. So if you don't understand any of stuff I will be putting in the story just ask.

oh ten reviews for the next chapter.