Page:The Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East, Volume 13.djvu/46

28 deity Wash-Prince-of-the-Offing; next, the deity Intermediate-Direction-of-the-Offing. The names of the deities that were born from the bracelet of his august right hand which he next threw down were: the deity Shore-Distant; next, the deity Wash-Prince-of-the-Shore; next, the deity Intermediate-Direction-of-the-Shore.

The twelve deities mentioned in the foregoing list from the deity Come-Not-Place down to the deity Intermediate-Direction-of-the-Shore are deities that were born from his taking off the things that were on his person.

Thereupon saying: "The water in the upper reach is too rapid; the water in the lower reach is too sluggish," he went down and plunged in the middle reach; and, as he washed, there was first born the Wondrous-Deity-of-Eighty-Evils, and next the Wondrous-Deity-of-Great-Evils. These two deities are the deities that were born from the filth he contracted when he went to that polluted, hideous land. The names of the deities that were next born to rectify those evils were: the Divine-Rectifying-Wondrous deity; next, the Great-Rectifying-Wondrous deity; next, the Female-Deity-Idzu. The names of the deities that were next born as he bathed at the bottom of the water were: the deity Possessor-of-the-Ocean-Bottom and, next, His Augustness Elder-Male-of-the-Bottom. The names of the deities that were born as he bathed in the middle of the water were: the deity Possessor-of-the-Ocean-Middle and, next, His Augustness Elder-Male-of-the-Middle. The names of the deities that were born as he bathed at the top of the water were the deity Possessor-of-the-Ocean-Surface and, next, His Augustness Elder-Male-of-the-Surface. These three Ocean-Possessing deities are the deities held in reverence as their ancestral deities by the Chiefs of Adzumi. So