| Abstract | Cilj i svrha ovog rada je prikazati razlike i sličnosti između japanske i nordijske mitologije, kako bismo dobili bolji uvid u načine razmišljanja dviju odvojenih društvenih skupina.
"Kojiki" je najstariji korpus japanskih mitoloških priča te čuva zapise o mitološkom nastanku Japana, a poslužio je carevima Yamata da ujedine Japan u doba razjedinjenih klanova. Štovali su različite kamije ili bogove, koji mogu biti skoro pa sve što postoji, ali samo za rijetke i važne kamije grade hramove. U japanskoj mitologiji je sve nastalo iz kaosa, te su onda nastali bogovi Nebeskih ravnica koji su stvarali japanske otoke, ljude i mnogo drugih kamija. Najvažnija božanstva su bila Amaterasu, koja je božica Sunca i glavni predak carske kuće, njezin brat Tsukiyomi, koji je bog Mjeseca, te Susanowo, bog oluja i mora. Mitologija Nordijaca nastaje otprilike u brončanom razdoblju, te su Nordijci vješti moreplovci i kasnije su postali poznati Vikinzi. U nordijskoj mitologiji isto kao i u japanskoj sve nastaje iz kaosa, ali se kozmogonija razvija drugim putem. Iz kaosa nastaje div Ymir, krava Audhumla i onda Buri koji je predak bogova. Burijev sin Bor je imao tri sina, Odin, Villi i Ve, koji su ubili Ymira i iz njega stvorili devet svjetova, a kasnije prve ljude. Odin ili Alfodr smatra se ocem svih ljudi i bogova, te je vrlo ambiciozan bog. Njegov sin, bog munje i oluja Thor imao je moćno oružje Mjollnir po čemu je bio poznat, te je s Lokijem doživio puno pustolovina i zbog njega bio često u nevoljama. Loki je bog vatre i bog varalica, te bio vrlo lukav i snalažljiv. Imao je djecu: vuka Fenrira, zmiju Jormunganda i kćer Hell, koji će mu pomoći prouzrokovati smak svijeta ili Ragnarok. Kod Ragnaroka će s čudovišnom djecom i vojskom podzemnog svijeta napasti sve bogove. Kod komparacije jedne i druge mitologije mogu se vidjeti brojne sličnosti i razlike.
Podudarnost je u tome da imaju isti početak, kaos. Nadalje i japanski i nordijski glavni bogovi su očovječeni, te se može zaključiti da su smatrali ljude vrhuncem božje kreacije. Međutim razlika je u tome da stječemo dojam da je japanski narod smatrao sebe vrhom kreacije, jer se sve fokusira samo oko Japana. Jedna od glavnih razlika je u tome da se većina japanskih bogova nalazi na Zemlji, a nordijski bogovi imaju zasebno, za obične ljude "nedohvatno" carstvo. Time se vidi stroga separacija između ljudskog i božanskog. |
| Abstract (english) | The aim and purpose of this paper is to show the differences and similarities between Japanese and Norse mythology, in order to get a better insight into the ways people were thinking when science and technology did not rule, but things were imagined as they could possibly be. Back then, they relied on religion and magic to explain the world and everything around us.
Kojiki is a ancient book where the mythological appearance of Japan is described, and which helped the Yamato emperors to unite Japan when there where many clans. They worshiped many kami or gods, which could be anything that existed, but only for the rare and important kami they build shrines. In Japanese mythology everything appears from chaos, than the gods of the Plain of Heaven which created the Japanese islands, humans, and many other kamis. The most important kami were Amaterasu, the goddess of Sun and the main ancestor of the imperial house, her brother Tsukiyomi, the god of Moon, and Susanowo the god of storms and the see. The mythology of the Norse originated around the Bronze Age, and the Norse were skilled sailors and later became famous Vikings. In Norse mythology, just like in Japanese mythology, everything arises from chaos, but than it continues completely on its own way. Out of the chaos appears the giant Ymir, the cow Audhumla and then Buri who is the ancestor of the gods. Buri's son Bor had three sons, Odin, Willi, and Ve, who killed Ymir and created nine worlds out of him, and later the first humans. Odin or Alfodr is considered the father of all humans and gods, and is a very ambitious god. His son, the god of lightning and storms Thor had the powerful weapon Mjollnir for which he was famous, and he had many adventures with Loki and was often in trouble because of him. Loki is a god of fire and a trickster god, and was very cunning and clever. His children were: Fenrir the wolf, Jormungand the snake, and the daughter Hell, who all would help him cause the end of the world or Ragnarok. When Ragnarok begins he will attack all the gods with his monstrous children and an army of the underworld. When comparing both mythologies, many similarities and differences can be seen, as well as the influence of mythology on the culture.
The similarity of these mythologies can be seen in the fact that they have the same beginning, in other words some chaos, which could be said, that they did not have a clear picture of what could be the source of everything, and because of that they explained it by disorganization or chaos. Furthermore, both the Japanese and the Nordic major gods are quite humanized, and it could be concluded that they considered humans as the pinnacle of divine creation. However, the difference is that the Japanese people considered themselves to be the pinnacle of creation, because everything is focused only on Japan. One of the main differences is that most of the Japanese gods are on Earth, when the Nordic gods have their own separate, "unreachable" kingdom for ordinary people. This shows a strict separation between the human and the divine. |
