The Deer god (Shishi Gami in the original), also know
as forest god, guardian spirit, etc. is the all-mighty lord of the forest. He is
the god of life and death, giving and taking life to maintain the natural
balance.
During the day the guardian spirit assumes the form of a deer
with a strange humanoid face that goes with other dears, but at the nightfall he
changes to the Nightwalker (Didarabocchi in the original) and wanders
around the forest until the daybreak. While he can change normally to the giant
Nightwalker's form when the moon touches him, he has to transform back to Deer
God before the sun hit him, if not he will disappear.
The forest god itself is born at the new moon and dies with
the old one, always accompanying the rhythm of nature. While he walks, grass and
small plants appear from the ground he touches, only to die in the instant he
leaves that place. He takes the life of something away when he breaths over it
but, on the other hand, he is able to revive something only by his touch.
At the dawn the guardian spirit returns to a magical clearing,
while is greeted by thousands of kodamas from the trees. He is also
believed to concede eternal youth to whom possesses his head, that's why he was
chased by Jigo and his men.
Deer God's poem:
A forest existing since the birth of
time
Deep and dark
Filled with a radiant spirit
Full of creatures that have long since vanished from the world
A forest where the Deer God dwells.
Strange animal.
Body of a deer. Face of a man.
Horns like the tangled branches of a tree.
A terrible and beautiful god
Who dies together with the old moon
And is reborn again with the new.
A god who remembers when the forest was born
And who still has the heart of a child.
A god who brings both life and
death.
At the touch of the Deer God's hoof
Grass grows, trees revive
Wounded animals regain their strength.
At the touch of the Deer God's
breath
Grass withers, trees rot
And life ends without fail.
The forest where the Deer God dwells
Is a world where a radiance beckons
And humans are not welcome. |