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Official FOLKLORE | The Kodama of Karakura

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Aania

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Aania
Aania
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コダマ
The Kodama of Karakura
worked on by Aania. More to follow.


The story begins with a young maiden whose beliefs and ambition rivaled those of the older priests at the monastery. If it was prayers they wished for, even the villagers sought out her more than
any others. She herself found no reasonable explanation why they preferred her, but others were not oblivious. Those around her knew and saw her beauty.
Described to be as if chiseled out of the earth itself by the gods, her beauty and nature were unrivaled.
But, it was not only the people who were attracted by her beauty but the gods and animals as well.
It is said that each day, she would wander down from the monastery into the dense forest, where she would pick the most fruitful growths. On her walk, she offered her hand to animals and people alike, tending to inflicted wounds or guiding those who strayed from their paths. She provided each something, from massive beasts to the littlest of rodents that darted across the forest grounds. The maiden would rest at the nearby river on an old tree stump, where she would wash her harvest, and while she was there, animals would surround her. They found their resting grounds with her as she sang lullabies for them and played mesmerizing tunes until the sunset when she would find her way back up to the monastery.

It was all of her kindness that angered the others. They believed that the worship she received was that higher of the gods, but she knew her place and only saw herself as a person to give others delight. But those displeased by her acts of kindness were ignorant, even jealous. So they prayed to the seven gods, praying every night and day, pleading their case, and painting a picture with black and lies. Rumouring that the maiden was attempting to become a god, trying to diminish the presents of the others. The gods heard their prayers as they watched over them and were angered, not by the maiden, but by those whose jealousy reached new heights. Those who deserved not to bear the power they hold.

It was the weeks after when the spring sun had finally begun to rise over Karakura, when the gods acted. They saw it not fit to punish those who sought out misfortune but to bestow a reward and sign of good faith onto the young maiden. Who they believed was the personification of good intent and nature.
In the late night, the maiden relaxed against a tree, meditating. The gods chose to appear to her. They offered the girl something to which no human, no living thing, had been given. And to the surprise of the gods, she declined. With no hesitation, with no afterthought, she calmly explained her reasoning. She was to remain a maiden as long as she lived, and all she wished for was a fruitful and healthy life that allowed her to help those in need. She furthered her request, claiming she wanted no harm to those who prayed it upon her and for their lives to continue as they should unfold.
That night, the gods left her where she sat, as human and maiden, but naming that when she lay on her death bed, she still would be entitled to their offer.


“What happened next, Pa?!” the young boy squealed as he held his pillow between his arms.

“Oh. .I think it’s too late for me to continue. .we must wake up early tomorrow. .” the older man leaned back into his chair as he adjusted his reading glasses. “We can continue tomorrow night.”

“NONONO, pleaseee.” the child finally sat up as he pleaded, scrunching the fabric of his sheets in his little hands. “Just the end! What happened to her. .just the end!” a pout was already forming across his chubby face, resulting in a defeated sigh from his elder.

“Only the end. .and don’t tell your mother,” he grunted, flipping to the book’s last chapter. A quiet giggle sounded next to him as the story continued on.



As the maiden’s life proceeded on, she never once changed. She never once mentioned her encounter with the gods, but her wish came true each day. She continued to aid nature and its people. And once her age finally caught up to her, once the path to the forest became too much for her brittle bones and she remained at the monastery, there she only wished that those younger and those who would see the next sunrise would take over her duties.
The forest and its creatures mourned their loss, often mindlessly seeking out for their companion, with no result. . .and this she felt in her heart.

The idea of leaving her friends, leaving this world, was something her heart could not bear, so she prayed to those gods. To the gods who offered her eternity and who she denied. One last time, after request. She was led back down to the woods, where she rested on the same tree. Left alone by the others, she repeated what had called the gods to her. She felt their presence when her eyes closed, and the prayer whispered throughout her mind. In all seven, no change was visible. There needed no words to be spoken as she nodded her head.

A bright light pulsed into the night, and the deed was done.

Her body was no longer a human but that of a spirit. Her presence was not singular; she was everywhere. Her life, dreams, and wishes were bestowed upon the tree and flowed through the forest. The gods’ offer was forever, the eternity of protection that she offered when her heart was still beating.

Upon her death, they bestowed her a new life. Eternal life as the Kodama of the forest.


He slowly drew the book closed as his gaze fixed on the younger boy, who was fighting sleep, who was trying to win him over. “The end.” The man leaned over and kissed the boy’s hairline gently. “Sleep well.” As his old bones creaked, he rose from his chair, and his back was turned. The boy let out one last sound.

“Do you think she’s still there?” his tired voice murmured. The older man chuckled quietly, looking out to the window in the small bedroom.

“Of course I do. Nature was her one true love.”

そして、彼女はこれからもそこに居続けるでしょう。
And she continues to be there.
 
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