일본신화 속 술의 양상과 의미

Abstract

Looking at the status of alcohol in an era or society and studying beliefs and emotions the members of society have about alcohol can be a way of understanding the culture. This article examined the aspects and meanings of liquor in Japanese mythology, focusing on ancient literature such as "Kojiki", "Nihon Shoki", "Fudoki" and "Manyo Shu". In Japanese mythology, alcohol sometimes means a sign of conquest and subjugation, the repose of souls to soothe an angry god, or a proof of revealing its existence as a god. In rituals, liquor is a promise between those who pay sacrifices and those who receive them. A ritual is a place for the covenant as follows. If you obey and revere a god, the god will give 'wealth' instead of 'disasters'. And there is always alcohol in the place where the pledge is repeated and recalled periodically. Especially in Japanese mythology, liquor is mainly related to the god of thunder, who has mostly wild and double - sided personality. It can be said that in ancient agrarian societies the god of thunder has been regarded as a ruler of water and land who governs production. In addition, liquor represents richness in the sense that it is the best product that can be obtained after rice, the agricultural produce, is refined and fermented. The gods of the thunder such as Susanoo, Omononushi, Kamo and Keizuchi are gods holding a double-edged sword of abundance and disaster, and they need to be well treated with the utmost respect. Moreover, the myth tells us that these gods can be equated with rice = liquor = nature itself because these gods require human efforts and suitable devotion.