21. Mount Tema

1Thereupon the Princess of Yakami answered the eighty Deities, saying: “I will not listen to your words. I mean to marry the Deity Great-Name-Possessor.” So the eighty Deities, being enraged, and wishing to slay the Deity Great-Name-Possessor, took counsel together, on arriving at the foot of Tema in the land of Hahaki, and said [to him]: “On this mountain there is a red boar. So when we drive it down, do thou wait and catch it. If thou do not wait and catch it, we will certainly slay thee.” Having [thus] spoken, they took fire, and burnt a large stone like unto a boar, and rolled it down. Then, as [they] drove it down and [he] caught it, he got stuck to and burnt by the stone, and died. Thereupon Her Augustness his august parent cried and lamented, and went up to Heaven, and entreated His Divine-Producing-Wondrous-Augustness, who at once sent Princess Cockle-Shell and Princess Clam to bring him to life. Then Princess Cockle-Shell triturated and scorched [her shell], and Princess Clam carried water and smeared [him] as with mother’s milk, whereupon he became a beautiful young man, and wandered off. Hereupon the eighty Deities, seeing [this], again deceived him, taking him with them into the mountains, where they cut down a large tree, inserted a wedge in the tree, and made him stand in the middle, whereupon they took away the wedge and tortured him to death. Then on Her Augustness his august parent again seeking him with cries, she perceived him, and at once cleaving the tree, took him out and brought him to life, and said to him: “If thou remain here, thou wilt at last be destroyed by the eighty Deities.” Then she sent him swiftly off to the august place of the Deity Great-House-Prince in the land of Ki. Then when the eighty Deities searched and pursued till they came up to him, and fixed their arrows [in their bows], he escaped by dipping under the fork of a tree, and disappeared.