#tatarigami

[thefluffmother]

more concept and ideas for an oc's past

[shadowgale96]

"For the sin of denying the gods their silk, they in turn shall deny us the power of the sun. And so, when winter falls upon this land, I'll die. You've wronged me. No. You've killed me. Do you understand now? You're kind words are worth nothing. I will have your lives! For each of my children who have burned, so shall one of yours! You'll atone for this through their deaths! Humans, If I shall fall, my hatred shall foul the very earth itself. My rage will poison the very air you breathe!"

-Princess Manari, Midnight Occult Civil Servant.

[elizadraws]

This just occurred to me. Continuation to the "Five Yōkai references to Studio Ghibli films".

Comparing Tatarigami to Tsuchigumo. Tatarigami (タタリ神 i.e., "cursed god") is the giant creature from Princess Mononoke that attacks the Emishi village and curses its last prince, Ashitaka. Behind the shape, resembling a giant spider covered in worms, hides the colossal boar god Nago. Tsuchigumo (土蜘蛛 literally "dirt/earth spider") is a historical Japanese derogatory term for renegade local clans and also the name for a race of spider-like yōkai in Japanese folklore.

Now, to how they are related: The aboriginal Emishi tribe that Ashitaka comes from is one of these renegade clans that have been fighting for 500 years against Yamato (the emperor). They have been losing against him, and now, with their last prince being cursed to death, they are certain to die out. From the Japanese middle ages onwards, these rebelling clans, i.e., Tsuchigumo, have been depicted as giant, monstrous spiders. In "The Tale of the Heike", the samurai Minamoto no Yorimitsu (a member of one of the ruling clans) defeats an enormous spider yōkai referred to as a Tsuchigumo (probably a metaphor for an opposing clan).

Now, going back to Princess Mononoke: Ashitaka, trying to protect his people, also kills this giant spider-looking god. But before doing so, he is cursed by the god. Because of this curse, he must leave his tribe and never come back. In a way, Ashitaka too has killed this renegade clan (Tsuchigumo), i.e., his own people.

[alternatefandom]

Death of a Deity, or, resentment of fallen gods across Mondstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma

Inazuma’s release reveals a ton of lore with it, including three major world quests that involves purifying some sort of evil so that previously-dangerous areas can become safe again. As a Xiao main, the topic of evil and resentment interests me very much, primarily because Genshin never quite explains to us what, exactly, is the evil that Xiao has to eternally struggle against, and why he has to do it for all eternity. This post is my attempt to compile everything we know about the evil that Xiao fights against, not just in Liyue, but all over the Teyvat we know.

There are seven nations in Teyvat, each ruled by their own deity. Styled as Archons, these deities won their titles two thousand years ago when they emerged as the victors of the Archon War. But even though they are worshipped as gods, they are not immortal. Archons have died and new ones have risen to take their place. Still, the death of a deity is no simple matter. From Havria, whose death unleashes a shockwave that turned her fleeing followers into salt, to the great serpent of Yashiori Island, whose death unleashes the tatarigami, we can see that the death of a deity has left their marks upon nations...

...except for Mondstadt.

But before we talk about Mondstadt, let's start with what Liyuens have to say about their fallen gods.

Liyue

We are first introduced to the concept of resentment of fallen gods in Liyue. Liyue is a bountiful and peaceful land, but it is also the site of many battlefields of yore. Many deities have met their end in this nation; some passed away peacefully, while others very much don’t.

The leftover resentment of fallen gods is a dangerous thing. Unfettered, it can poison the land, spawn monsters, and cause illness amongst mortals. In Liyue, two notable entities safeguard them against such an occasion: the guardian yakshas, who literally fight agaist the resentment, and Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, who burn bodies of the deceased to ensure that any pestilence does not spread.

In Xiao's collected miscellany, Dainsleif states that the resentment of fallen gods is something to be endured, implying that the fight against resentment is one that will go on for eternity. However, it is interesting to note that Liyue's guardian entities seem to contradict this statement. In her story quest, Hu Tao flat-out states that the 'curse of the gods' have long since been eradicated.

In his own story quest, when talking about the demon-tainted monster, Xiao says that they were tainted by Xiao's own bad karma, instead of resentment of the fallen gods.

We can see that the state of the resentment of fallen gods in Liyue right now remains unclear. Has it been eradicated, or is it still a threat? Is the evil taint in Liyue caused by resentment of fallen gods, or remnants of Xiao's accumulated karma? What will happen if Xiao dies? Will the karma he accumulated be unleashed or will it die with him? Is there anyone who will be able to take over his job? Will anyone need to? The system of resentment suppression in Liyue right now seem fragile, but could Zhongli have retired if things truly are as precarious as they seem?

Inazuma

When we get to Inazuma, we see that the resentment of fallen gods is running rampant. In Liyue, we pretty much only fight demon-tainted enemies during Xiao's story quest, but in Inazuma, they're everywhere. The people of Inazuma call this phenomenon the 'tatarigami', and unlike in Liyue, they have dedicated systems to suppress and even harness it, even though they are defunct for one reason or another.

The first notable evil-purifying system is centered on Narukami Island, at the Grand Sakura Tree. The roots of this tree is connected to the Thunder Sakura roots growing all over Narukami Island. Thunder Sakuras are capable of absorbing filth and evil from the land. However, if the tree absorbs too much filth, it will die. This is why there are barriers placed at its roots. They serve as filters that can be cleaned out every half-century or so, preventing too much filth from seeping into the Grand Sakura Tree and killing it.

Outside of Narukami Island, around Kannazuka, there are also five Thunder Sakuras growing around Mikage Furnace. We know that Thunder Sakuras can purify filth, so it makes sense for them to be planted around the Mikage Furnace. Ostensibly, they can be used to purify excessive tatarigami, keeping the area around the furnace safe for everyone.

However, according to Miyuki (the miko in the Sakura Arborism quest), the Thunder Sakuras of Kannazuka are not used to purify tatarigami. Rather, they serve to suppress ‘the one who lies beneath’; whether it is a fallen deity, a sealed one, or something else, we do not know. In fact, it is important to note that while the Thunder Sakuras can purify filth and evil, it is never explicitly stated that it can purify resentment or tatarigami. The evil and filth that the Sakura trees purify may very well be different to the resentment of fallen gods. Which makes sense; nothing in Inazuman lore suggests that any deity have unwillingly met their end at Narukami Island or Kannazuka proper.

To the west of Kannazuka, though, lies Yashiori, an island battered by the full force of the tatarigami. It comes from the remains of Orobachi, a giant serpent-god slain by the Raiden Shogun. As a defense against tatarigami, the people of Inazuma placed wards to suppress Orobachi’s soul. However, the wards are not enough to suppress the tatarigami altogether: the Kitain family, hailed as the Yashiori Guardians, are tasked with hunting down the tatarigami to keep the people safe. The lore of the Kitain Cross Spear has this to say about them: “having been a demon hunter for so long, it is unavoidable that one might imbibe some of that miasmic, tainted blood.” 

Well, doesn’t that sound familiar.

The tatarigami in Yashiori seem to be the closest account of resentment that we know from Liyue. Like in Liyue, the people of Yashiori had to resort to literally battling the tatarigami, but unlike in Liyue, they have no immortal adeptus that can bear the burden of karma for them. Eventually, due to various factors, even the Yashiori Guardians succumbed to tatarigami. What remains behind is an island ravaged by illness and natural disasters, a grim example of a society built upon the ashes of divine war with no divine being who cares enough to protect them.

Mondstadt

Unlike Liyue and Inazuma, somehow, Mondstadt does not seem to be troubled with the resentment of fallen gods. This is probably because unlike Liyue and Inazuma, Mondstadt was never the site of grand archon battles. During Decarabian's reign, Andrius kept the land frozen in a blizzard, and after Decarabian's fall, Andrius chose to pass away peacefully, using his power to nourish the land instead of leaving resentment behind. There are no accounts of other gods dying against their will in Mondstadt, save for Decarabian himself.

And yet, we do not see traces of resentment anywhere in Mondstadt, not even in the ruins of Old Mondstadt. The darkness that corrupts Dvalin comes from the Abyss, and so is the corruption of the dragon Durin. So the big burning question is, where did Decarabian's resentment go? Did he choose to pass away in peace after all? Did Venti manage to purify his resentment somehow? Does this mean that resentment can truly be purged, and if so, what does this mean for Xiao? Or are we just reading too much into the whole resentment thing?

The Solution to Tatarigami

So, if the resentment of fallen gods is something that can never be purged, what can the people of Teyvat do to protect themselves? Is burdening a divine being with pain and bad karma the only reliable way? Well, the good news is that there may be another way. From the Tatara Tales world quest, we know that tatarigami can be harnessed and even purified, to an extent. So even though a solution does not exist right now, there may very well be in the near future. There is light at the end of the tunnel for our friendly neighborhood Yaksha; one day, he may be able to follow his lord into a peaceful retirement, after all.

[propertiesofjoy]

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[youlittleinfinity]

Jiko: A quanto pare, la natura stavolta ha avuto la meglio.

- Princess Mononoke,  Hayao Miyazaki, (1997)

[nocandnc]

Sorry if this seems out of the blue, but I have a theory about Nanashi and wanted to get your thoughts. Pretty much everytime this guy appears, something terrible happens (Kitarō getting shot, the whole curse app debacle, the West vs. East Yokai War, etc.) My theory is this: What if Nanashi is a Tatarigami?

No worries, sorry for the slow reply!!!

I don’t know enough about the subject to weigh in properly, but that would be neat!! The show is always about either youkai or humans, so having a sort of cursed god on the playing field would be interesting indeed. I do feel like he’s an embodiment of negativity of sorts which can be a curse in and of itself - and they say there’s a god for everything.

[mauropreto]

FUI MERIENDA DE UN TATARIGAMI