Difference between revisions of "Raiju"

Latest revision as of 14:51, 27 May 2008

Raiju

Raijū (雷獣,"thunder animal" or "thunder beast") is a demon from Japanese mythology.

Description

Its body is composed of either lightning or fire and may be in the shape of a cat, tanuki, monkey, or weasel. It may also fly about as a ball of lightning or fire (in fact, the demon may be an attempt to explain the phenomenon of ball lightning). Its cry sounds like thunder.

Behavior

Raiju is the companion of Raijin, the Shinto god of lightning. While the demon is generally calm and harmless, during thunderstorms, it becomes agitated and leaps about in trees, fields, and even buildings (trees that have been struck by lightning are said to have been scratched by Raiju's claws).

Another of Raiju's peculiar behaviors is sleeping in human navels. This prompts Raiden to shoot arrows at Raiju to wake the creature up, and thus harms the person in whose belly the demon is resting. Superstitious people therefore often sleep on their stomachs during bad weather. Other legends say that Raiju will only hide in the navels of people who sleep outdoors.

Theory about origin

The myth of the thunder animal probably came about as a way of explaining the natural phenomenen of ball lightning.

Art/Fiction

Several creatures in anime and manga are inspired by Raiju, such as the Pokémon Raikou (Pokémon) and Raichu as well as the Clow Card The Thunder in Cardcaptor Sakura. The PS2 video game Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call also includes the Raiju as a recruitable enemy.

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-[[Category:Mythological Creatures]]
+[[Image:Raiju.jpg|thumb|Raiju]]
+'''Raijū''' (雷獣,"thunder animal" or "thunder beast")  is a demon from Japanese mythology.
-'''Raiju'''
-Physical Description
+==Description==
-''Raiju'' in the Japanese language translates into ''thunder animal''. And this is a most appropriate name for a creature that serves as a personal steed for Raidin, the Shinto God of Thunder. Composed entirely from lightning, this usually peaceable creature becomes agitated and high-strung during a violent lightning storm, transforming itself into a dervish of lightning that crashes into trees, fields and even buildings with normally disastrous consequences for the unfortunate object on the recieving end of the collision. In this present age, some are still wont to comment that a tree displaying the scorch marks of a lightning strike, is actually bearing the claw-marks of this beast. In its more composed moods, Raiju prefers to assume the shape of a cat, monkey, racoon, badger or weasel, but even in these more sedate states, it is still disposed towards inflicting some damage as it exercises its claws on the surfaces of some object. His cry was also believed to mimic the sound of thunder.
+Its body is composed of either lightning or fire and may be in the shape of a cat, tanuki, monkey, or weasel. It may also fly about as a ball of lightning or fire (in fact, the demon may be an attempt to explain the phenomenon of ball lightning). Its cry sounds like thunder.
-Story
-Notorious for slumbering against the wishes of its master, Raiju sometimes exibits this curious habit of choosing to slumber in a person's navel, taking advantage of the individual's own tranquil state of sleep to do this un-noticed. Sadly, this often has tragic results for the sleeper selected to by Raiju to become its bed, when Raidin hurls an arrow of lightning into the belly of that ill-fated one, eager to goad his indolent creature into stirring awake. To avoid a painful demise of this nature, people would often sleep on their bellies during a raging storm when Raiju was most likely to be out and about. That way, they could ensure that the thunder beast would have no way of making them a prime target for Raidin's missiles of doom.
+==Behavior==
-Orgin
+Raiju is the companion of Raijin, the Shinto god of lightning. While the demon is generally calm and harmless, during thunderstorms, it becomes agitated and leaps about in trees, fields, and even buildings (trees that have been struck by lightning are said to have been scratched by Raiju's claws).
-The myth of the thunder animal probably came about as a way of explaining the natural phenomenen of ball lightning.
+Another of Raiju's peculiar behaviors is sleeping in human navels. This prompts Raiden to shoot arrows at Raiju to wake the creature up, and thus harms the person in whose belly the demon is resting. Superstitious people therefore often sleep on their stomachs during bad weather. Other legends say that Raiju will only hide in the navels of people who sleep outdoors.
+==Theory about origin==
+The myth of the thunder animal probably came about as a way of explaining the natural phenomenen of ball lightning.
+==Art/Fiction==
+Several creatures in anime and manga are inspired by Raiju, such as the Pokémon Raikou (Pokémon) and Raichu as well as the Clow Card The Thunder in Cardcaptor Sakura. The PS2 video game Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call also includes the Raiju as a recruitable enemy.
+[[Category:Japanese mythology]]
+[[Category:Shapeshifters]]
+[[Category:Demons]]