Okikurumi, the hero Kamuy of two worlds. Back when the earth was young, after the Kamuy had proliferated across the lands they returned to Kamuy-moshiri. However some of the Kamuy chose to remain on earth, one of them being the goddess of elm trees Chikisani-Kamuy. The lightning god Kanna-Kamuy noticed Chikisani-Kamuy, quickly smitten the two began to converse with one another. Ultimately the two couldn’t be apart, with Kanna-Kamuy leaping down from Kamuy-moshiri as Chikisani-Kamuy rose up to meet him. As Kanna-Kamuy touched his lover for the first time, his powerful lightning struck her, causing her to explode, her remnants engulfed in flames. Devastated, Kanna-Kamuy banished himself to his own solitude in the sky. But within Chikisani’s charred and smoldering remains cradled the two’s child, Okikurumi.
Now without any guardians, Okikurumi was given to couple Tokapcup-Kamuy and Kunnecup-Kamuy as their adopted son. The two heavenly Kamuy raised Okikurumi on earth with the humans made by their creator Kotankar-Kamuy. As a child, Okikurumi played with the human children and greatly loved humanity, teaching them many things and forming their way of life. For this Okikurumi was adored by humanity, in their minds becoming one of them, a heavenly Kamuy born on earth and raised among humans.
One day after Okikurumi had grown up, he was alerted to a monstrous deer attacking nearby villages. Rushing to the scene he encountered a young woman, quickly exchanging pleasantries Okikurumi returned to chasing after the deer. Finally catching up to the rampaging deer the two fought one another, with Okikurumi coming out on top. Once defeated, Okikurumi learned that the deer was no Kunne-Kamuy, instead it was a heavenly Kamuy sent to test his power. Okikurumi fired off an arrow into the sky to guide the deer Kamuy back to Kamuy-moshiri. Back home he was alerted that the woman he passed on his way to fight the deer Kamuy was Retachir-Kamuy, the swan goddess, who heard of Okikurumi in Kamuy-Moshiri and came down to the earth to court him.
The two grew close and wished to be wed. However before they could, in the night the evil witch demon Uesoyoma kidnapped Retachir-Kamuy. Okikurumi attempted to chase the witch but was blinded by her, allowing Uesoyoma to defeat him. Recovered by Tokapcup-Kamuy, she sat Okikurumi by a campfire and told him of his parents, the truth awakening the dormant powers within him. With newfound vigor, Okikurumi grabbed his sword and descended into Tenei-pokna-moshiri, the land of the Kunne-Kamuy. With a mighty shout Okikurumi is able to call upon mighty storms to strike the swarms of kunne-Kamuy. Finally he’s able to confront Uesoyoma and strike her down, rescuing Retachir-kamuy from her clutches.
From then on, Okikurumi committed himself to his duty of protecting the world, fighting off demons, going on adventures, and teaching humanity. Okikurumi is said to be able to take on the form of a human, however his true Kamuy form is said to be cloaked in flames, the flames symbolizing his courageous heart.
Okikurumi’s strength is unparalleled, constantly thwarting the power of the Kunne-Kamuy, however his strength wasn’t his only form of power as he was also adept at magic as well. Okikurumi held a plethora of powers, sometimes able to completely mimick the powers of the other Kamuy. One of his most iconic powers is his ability to give life. Okikurumi has done this on many occasions, such as when he created a clone of himself out of dung to trick a Saksomoayep into eating it, creating the Chishinap-Kamuy to combat Pakoro-Kamuy, and creating rabbits from the leftover snow from his shoes.
Many times the Kunne-Kamuy of Tenei-Pokna-Moshiri came above and kidnapped Tokapcup-Kamuy, wishing to plunge the world into chaos. But each time Okikurumi emerged and saved his adoptive guardian.
But as Okikurumi aged he decided to return to Kamuy-moshiri, shedding his mortal body. Nevertheless, Okikurumi would still return to the earth to teach humanity like he has since time memorial.
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Okikurumi is the main culture hero of the Ainu, the indigenous peoples of Japan. The vast majority of Ainu stories detail his exploits. Within the Ainu mythos, Okikurumi is heavily associated with Mugwort, a plant he uses frequently and a common icon of his.
According to some myths, Okikurumi has a brother or counterpart in Samaykuru, a blundering and wrathful figure frequently upstaged by Okikurumi. However in other areas it is Samaykuru who takes the role of the hero god, likely originating as a regional form of Okikurumi. In some older Ainu myths Okikurumi is shown to have a crazed or wrathful aspect, seen particularly in the myth in which Okikurumi while shaking the ocean to create the tide begins to shake it in a ferverish craze creating typhoons. This crazed aspect likely lessened over time, being folded into Samaykuru instead. Okikurumi has a similar relationship with the other popular hero in Ainu Yukara, Poiyaunpe. Poiyaunpe is frequently conflated with Okikurumi, either described as his brother or as the same figure. Some Poiyaunpe stories even detail a similar crazed personality as Samaykuru.
There’s a well circulated theory within Ainu mythological studies that alleges Okikurumi is a deified form of the Japanese figure Yoshitsune, with some Ainu historical myths stating that Yoshitsune came to Hokkaido and became known as Okikurumi. While some of Yoshitsune’s exploits may have been conflated with Okikurumi, I doubt that Yoshitsune is the origin of Okikurumi’s worship, as Okikurumi is so imbedded and interconnected within the Ainu religious landscape including its historical development that I doubt such a thing could be possible, especially since other Ainu groups and myths have contradicted the notion.
As with many of the higher gods in the Ainu religion, Okikurumi likely came about as an Ainu predecessor to the Shinto Susanoo, both sharing connections to storms and the sea, both being culture heroes, both having a familial connection with the solar and lunar gods, both are dragon slayers, and both hold crazed and wrathful aspects. Susanoo likely developed out of Okikurumi’s Jomon form.
As Okikurumi’s worship is so vast and spans across the entire Ainu themselves, Okikurumi has many different names he’s gone by, Such as Aeoina-Kamuy, Oina-Kamuy, Ainurakkur, and Samaykuru. Each name details a specific aspect of Okikurumi’s character, Aeoina-Kamuy means “the god who we pass on in our stories”, Ainurakkur means “the god who smells like a human” but more accurately means “the god who is a human”, and Okikurumi means “he who wears the shiny robes” signifying the strength of his character.
In some areas, instead of Okikurumi’s wife being the swan goddess Retachir, it’s instead the bat goddess Kapap-kamuy.
The Kunne-Kamuy of smallpox Pakoro-Kamuy is sometimes said to be Okikurumi’s father in some areas. He’s well known for having a contentious rivalry with his son, ultimately being slain by him. In other areas there’s a myth that states that another Kunne-Kamuy killed Okikurumi’s parents and raised him as her own, but when she told Okikurumi he killed her out of anger.
Okikurumi is heavily associated with Kotankar-Kamuy, sometimes replacing Kotankar-kamuy as the creator of the earth itself. In some areas Okikurumi is said to be the physical manifestation of Kotankar-kamuy.
With Okikurumi’s near constant participation in the incredibly important eclipse myths, it’s likely that he shares the archetype of the Chaoskampf hero with the like of the Semitic Baal, the Slavic Perun, and the Irish Lugh. Okikurumi also resembles a trickster god like the Anishinabe Nanabozho, the Nordic Loki, and the Akan Anansi.
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