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- Title
THE FOUR-EYED DOG.
- Authors
Shunsuke Okunishi
- Abstract
The first domesticated animal, the dog has always held an important role in human culture, the beliefs and traditions associated with its presence being as old as the first dog that started living with humans. The present paper focuses on the symbolism of the dog in Japanese culture from a comparative perspective. Four types of mythical dogs are analyzed here. First, the hellhound (or the watchdog from hell), a legendary creature that has been perceived as dual and thus endowed with special powers that allow it to guard the border between the realm of the living and that of the dead, at the same time acting as a guide for the souls. Second, the four-eyed dog, a motif related to that of the watchdog from hell, due again to its dual characteristic. Third, the spotted dog, an animal of ambiguous color used for rituals and as a sacrifice. Fourth, the ancestor dog, a widespread motif in the world cultures: a human female and a male dog have offspring together, their children becoming heroes or the founders of great tribes.
- Subjects
DOGS in folklore; JAPANESE civilization; JAPANESE mythology; CERBERUS (Greek mythology); RITUAL
- Publication
Cogito (2066-7094), 2012, Vol 4, Issue 2, p124
- ISSN
2068-6706
- Publication type
Article