uo 



A^fi^if)- The epithet "bear" means "strong as a bear"'. 

 As to the word ivani, one version of the Hohoderai legend ^ says 

 that the sea-princess became a loani, and according to another 

 version she changed into a dragon; in the former the same words 

 are used as in the above-mentioned passage about Koto-shiro- 

 uushi no kami: "Toyotama-bime changed into a big heav-ivani, 

 eight fathoms long, which crept about". Aston ', in a note to 

 this passage, supposes that the word wani is not a Japanese, 

 but a Korean word, wang-i, which should simply mean: king. 

 Florenz* agrees with him, and they base their opinion upon the 

 fact that the legend has strong Chinese features. Although the 

 Indian notions about the Naga-kings related above (Introduction) 

 are easily to be recognized in the Japanese legend, yet I think we 

 must not go as far as to consider the whole story western, nor 

 have we the right to suspect the old word wani on account of 

 the fact that a part of the legend is of foreign origin. Why 

 should the ancient Japanese or Koreans have called these sea- 

 monsters "kings", omitting the word "dragon", which is the 

 most important part of the combined term "dragon-king"? And 

 if the full term were used in Korea, certainly the Japanese 

 would not have taken up only its last part. In my opinion the 

 loani is an old Japanese dragon- or serpent-shaped sea-god, and 

 the legend is an ancient Japanese tale, dressed in an Indian 

 garb by later generations. The oldest version probably related 

 how Hohodemi went to the sea-god, married his daughter and 

 obtained from him the two jewels of ebb and flood, or some 

 other means to punish his brother by nearly drowning him; 

 afterwards, when having returned to the earth, he built the 

 parturition-house, -and breaking his promise of not looking at 

 his wife when she was giving birth, saw that she had changed 

 into a loani, i. e. an enormous sea-monster. As to the pearls, 

 although mysterious jewels are very common in the Indian tales 

 about the Naga-kings, it is possible that also Japanese sea-gods 

 were believed to possess them, as the sea conceals so many treasures 

 in her depths; but it may also be an Indian conception. When 

 later generations got acquainted with the Chinese and Indian 

 dragons, they identified their wani with the latter, and embellished 

 their old legends with features, borrowed from the Indian Naga 

 tales. The magnificent palace is of Indian origin, and, as Aston^ 



1 Florenz, 1.1., p. 148, note 89. 2 Nihongi,Ch. II, p. 66. 



3 Nihongi, Vol. I, p. 61, note 3. 4 L. 1. p. 148, note 89. 



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