일본 역신(疫神)설화의 일고찰 - 오모노누시를 중심으로 -

Abstract

It was believed that a plague in ancient Japan that threatened the lives of the community members and caused national crisis was considered a disaster caused by the wrath of God.‘Kojiki’and Nihon Shoki,’which are the oldest extant records, said the plague occurred during the reign of Emperor Sujin and was caused by the deity named Omononusi. The divine body of the god that caused the epidemic is depicted as a snake. It is common for the god of medicine, or epidemics, to be depicted as a dragon or snake in various mythologies in Korean, Chinese, Greece-Roman, and other cultures. The Japanese recognize the gods of epidemics as dragons and snakes, because they are the spirit of the water; which is the origin of all living things. The dragons and snakes can freely move between land, water, and sky. They are symbols of death and rebirth, because they repeat the cycles of hibernation and molting. Especially in the ancient agricultural society, the gods were seen as controlling the power over whether the harvest would be rich or poor. They did this by governing water and thunderstorms, which was equivalent to having control of life or death. When there is less water, famine occurs and results in poor nutrition that makes people more vulnerable to disease. Therefore, famine and plagues were closely related. Omononusi controls the rain and sunshine. He has a distinctly ambivalent personality and when the Japanese treated the god with respect, as shown through a sacrifice, he could be the guardian of agriculture, ensuring a rich harvest with timely rain and sunshine. If neglected, he could be changed into the god of disaster, who relentlessly causes an extraordinary natural disaster and outbreaks of disease. He had a sacred marriage to a human virgin who gave birth to a girl who later became the Empress of Japan’s first emperor Jinmu. The daughter passed the magic power to control water to her husband and their descendants. Power over water is considered an essential quality for ancient kings of the Japanese imperial household to possess. In addition, the direct descendants of Jinmu can soothe the disasters, such as plagues caused by the god, by making a sacrifice. As you can see, the god of epidemics in Japan is the negative aspect of the god of dragons and snakes’ personality. The story of the god of epidemics usually includes a story of a sacred marriage.