著者

荒川 理恵

雑誌

学習院大学人文科学論集 (ISSN:09190791)

巻号頁・発行日

no.5, pp.33-53, 1996-09-30

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There are various legends of“SUGARU”in‘‘NIHON-SHOKI”,“NIHON-RYOIKI”, and‘‘SHINSEN・SHOJIROKU”. In these legends,“SUGARU”is related to the empress and the emperor, or to silkworms and thunderbolts, at first sight, with such strange episodes as gathering babies instead of silkworlns, or caputuring the got of thunderbolt. Although there are already some studies about“SUGARU’,, we have as yet no clear explanation about the relationship between‘‘SUGARU”and those strange episodes. This paper examines the relationship between the empress and the emperor量n comparison with the Iegends of‘‘SUGARU”. They are based mainly on two ideas;the identification of the empress with the goddess of silkworm(on the one hand), and the assimilatioll of the emperor to the deity of storm and thunderbolt(on the other hand). The sexual union of the empress and the emperor means(mythologicaUy speaking)that of the goddess of silkworm and the god of thunderbolt as we find in the myth of“AMATERASU”and“SUSANOWO”. In conclusion, there is a similarity of the mythical structure of the relationship between the empress and the emperor(on the one hand)and that between“AMATERASU”and“SUSANOWO”(on the other hand).