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ArchivesEtymology of the name Susanoo
Hello, everyone! I am wondering if some of you out there could gather information concerning the etymology of the name Susanoo, which was borne by the Japanese god of storms.
In the comments section of said name, I mentioned that Susanoo could mean either "impetuous male" or "man of Susa": https://www.behindthename.com/name/susanoo/comments
However, I'd like for some of you to help me find info about this name's etymological origin. Will you be able to do so? Please let me know.
In the comments section of said name, I mentioned that Susanoo could mean either "impetuous male" or "man of Susa": https://www.behindthename.com/name/susanoo/comments
However, I'd like for some of you to help me find info about this name's etymological origin. Will you be able to do so? Please let me know.
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Replies
Meaning of the name Susanoo
As I had previously stated, Susanoo is said to mean "impetuous male" in Japanese. I will include a few examples to back this up, despite Susanoo's name being spelled differently.
Japanese Mythology by Juliet Piggott
• Susano, however, is not entirely limited to his role as Storm god. His name has been translated as 'Swift-Impetuous-Deity' and 'The Impetuous Male.' He was banished from Amaterasu's celestial country and went to the Province of Izumo on the coast of the Sea of Japan in Honshu. (pages 15–16)
The Kojiki by Basil Hall Chamberlain
• Such are, for instance, the quaint legend invented to explain the fact that the sun and moon do not shine simultaneously, and the curious development of the legend of the expulsion of the deity Susa-no-wo ("Impetuous Male"), telling of the hospitality which was refused to him by the other gods when he appeared before them to beg for shelter. (page range unknown; see III. The "Chronicles of Japan.")
• Returning to Himuka in south-western Japan, Izanagi purifies himself by bathing in a stream, and, as he does so, fresh deities are born from each article of clothing that he throws down on the river-bank, and from each part of his person. One of these deities was the Sun-Goddess, who was born from his left eye, while the Moon-God sprang from his right eye, and the last born of all, Susa-no-Wo, whose name the translator renders by "the Impetuous Male," was born from his nose. Between these three children their father divides the inheritance of the universe. (page range unknown; see V. Religious and Political Ideas of the Early Japanese, Beginnings of the Japanese Nation, and Credibility of the National Records.)
NOTE: Concerning The Kojiki by Basil Hall Chamberlain, I used a preview of that book via Google Books, which did not include the page numbers.
As I had previously stated, Susanoo is said to mean "impetuous male" in Japanese. I will include a few examples to back this up, despite Susanoo's name being spelled differently.
Japanese Mythology by Juliet Piggott
• Susano, however, is not entirely limited to his role as Storm god. His name has been translated as 'Swift-Impetuous-Deity' and 'The Impetuous Male.' He was banished from Amaterasu's celestial country and went to the Province of Izumo on the coast of the Sea of Japan in Honshu. (pages 15–16)
The Kojiki by Basil Hall Chamberlain
• Such are, for instance, the quaint legend invented to explain the fact that the sun and moon do not shine simultaneously, and the curious development of the legend of the expulsion of the deity Susa-no-wo ("Impetuous Male"), telling of the hospitality which was refused to him by the other gods when he appeared before them to beg for shelter. (page range unknown; see III. The "Chronicles of Japan.")
• Returning to Himuka in south-western Japan, Izanagi purifies himself by bathing in a stream, and, as he does so, fresh deities are born from each article of clothing that he throws down on the river-bank, and from each part of his person. One of these deities was the Sun-Goddess, who was born from his left eye, while the Moon-God sprang from his right eye, and the last born of all, Susa-no-Wo, whose name the translator renders by "the Impetuous Male," was born from his nose. Between these three children their father divides the inheritance of the universe. (page range unknown; see V. Religious and Political Ideas of the Early Japanese, Beginnings of the Japanese Nation, and Credibility of the National Records.)
NOTE: Concerning The Kojiki by Basil Hall Chamberlain, I used a preview of that book via Google Books, which did not include the page numbers.
This message was edited 11/28/2019, 7:52 PM
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Here's more evidence. Again, Susanoo's name might be spelled differently in some of these sources, but they are still about him. Some of the sources here will also include some of his full names.
The Meaning of Shinto by J.W.T. Mason
• The root meaning of the word "Susano" is generally interpreted as "impetuous"; and Susano has been regarded as perhaps personifying the primitive idea of storm. (page 101)
Shinto: The Way of Japan by Floyd H. Ross
• Susanoo, Impetuous Male, her [Amaterasu's] brother, also had a prominent role in many of the stories which center in Izumo. (page 35)
The National Faith of Japan by D. C. Holtom
• Another term, mi-koto, is frequently affixed to the descriptive elements of divine names as a substitute for kami. This also will be encountered here and there in the pages that follow and its meaning should be explained at this point. The parts signify: mi (honorific) and koto ("thing" or "person"). The word was originally a title of reverence applied to exalted individuals in the ordinary social life. It is sometimes used of the gods and in such cases is perhaps best translated "deity", as, for example, Susa-no-Wo-no-Mikoto, "The-Impetuous-Male-Deity," the name commonly given the storm god. (pages 25–26)
Religions in Japan by William K. Bunce
• The last of the succession of the deities above the Male-Who-Invites (Izanagi) and the Female-Who-Invites (Izanami). These produced the terrestrial world and gave birth to wind, water, mists, food, mountains, and other natural phenomena which also became deities. The ideas of spontaneous and sexual generation exist side by side in Japanese mythology with complete naivete. The final offspring of this divine couple were the Heavenly-Shining-Goddess (Amaterasu Omikami), the Moon-Ruler (Tsuki-yomi), and the Valiant-Swift-Impetuous-Hero (Takehaya-susanowo). The Sun Goddess ruled the realm of light, including heaven and earth; the Moon God ruled the night; and the Valiant-Swift-Impetuous-Hero ruled the mysterious nether regions. (pages 103–104)
The Meaning of Shinto by J.W.T. Mason
• The root meaning of the word "Susano" is generally interpreted as "impetuous"; and Susano has been regarded as perhaps personifying the primitive idea of storm. (page 101)
Shinto: The Way of Japan by Floyd H. Ross
• Susanoo, Impetuous Male, her [Amaterasu's] brother, also had a prominent role in many of the stories which center in Izumo. (page 35)
The National Faith of Japan by D. C. Holtom
• Another term, mi-koto, is frequently affixed to the descriptive elements of divine names as a substitute for kami. This also will be encountered here and there in the pages that follow and its meaning should be explained at this point. The parts signify: mi (honorific) and koto ("thing" or "person"). The word was originally a title of reverence applied to exalted individuals in the ordinary social life. It is sometimes used of the gods and in such cases is perhaps best translated "deity", as, for example, Susa-no-Wo-no-Mikoto, "The-Impetuous-Male-Deity," the name commonly given the storm god. (pages 25–26)
Religions in Japan by William K. Bunce
• The last of the succession of the deities above the Male-Who-Invites (Izanagi) and the Female-Who-Invites (Izanami). These produced the terrestrial world and gave birth to wind, water, mists, food, mountains, and other natural phenomena which also became deities. The ideas of spontaneous and sexual generation exist side by side in Japanese mythology with complete naivete. The final offspring of this divine couple were the Heavenly-Shining-Goddess (Amaterasu Omikami), the Moon-Ruler (Tsuki-yomi), and the Valiant-Swift-Impetuous-Hero (Takehaya-susanowo). The Sun Goddess ruled the realm of light, including heaven and earth; the Moon God ruled the night; and the Valiant-Swift-Impetuous-Hero ruled the mysterious nether regions. (pages 103–104)
This message was edited 12/3/2019, 3:24 PM
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