Yamato no Orochi (Art by Luca Trentin)
Yamata no Orochi is a serpentine dragon in Japanese Shinto myth and an archenemy of the storm god Susanoo.
Description[]
The Orochi has eight heads and eight tails, and its body is said to be so enormous that reaches across eight valleys and eight hills. Fir and cypress trees grow on its back, and its body is covered in moss.
History[]
Background[]
Yamata no Orochi is revealed to be one of the Würms of Destruction, specifically a child of Tiamat herself. It is unknown how he was able to escape persecution from the the Shinto gods especially considering that he had been poisoning the crops of their mortal worshippers and desecrating their temples. Amaterasu explains that like his brethren, Orochi possesses a toxin so potent that it is deadly even to the gods themselves as such they could not risk incurring his wrath but have actively stood against him from time to time.
The only one brave and bold enough to stand against him was the Shinto storm god Susanoo, who time and again thwarted Orochi's rampage and would fertilize the lands once more with rain. Their conflicts made them out to be hated enemies much like their Norse counterparts Thor and Jormungandr respectively. It was not until Orochi learned of Susanoo's banishment from the heavens that he was now free to continue his terror without hinderance. Seeing how the gods pose little threat to him, Orochi decides to indulge himself in the finer things humanity has to offer, among of which is devouring a virgin daughter born from an esteemed family. It would not, however, last as Susanoo arrived on the scene once more.
Death[]
When Susanoo was in exile from the heavens, he finds a couple and their daughter crying by the river. They explain their sadness to him, that every year, the Orochi comes to devour one of their daughters. This year, they must give up their eighth and final daughter, Kushinada. To save her, Susano proposes marriage to Kushinada. When she accepts, he transforms her into a comb which he can then carry in his hair. Kusinada's parents must brew sake, he explains, and refine it eight times. They must also build an enclosure with eight gates, each of which includes a vat of sake.
When the Orochi arrives, he is lured in towards the sake, and dips each of his heads into one of the vats. The drunken beast is now weakened and disoriented, allowing Susanoo to quickly slay it. As Susanoo cuts the monster into pieces, he uncovers a great sword that had grown inside the Orochi. This blade, the Kusanagi, is presented to Amaterasu as a gift to reconcile their dispute.