Legend

Japan is a country with it's own share of legends and folk tales. Amoungst the many, one of my favorite Japanese folk tale is the one used for the series of Ayashi no Ceres: the hagoromo legend. There are many different versions of the legend in all the different areas of Japan. Some towns in Japan even feature different landmarks in dedication of this popular legend: such as the Hagoromo Falls in the Hokkaido Prefecture.

Yu Watase decided to base her story off of her own version of the legend when she discovered the many different writings of the same story. So, she completed the legend the way she felt would have been a good way for the tale to go and wrote her story, Ayashi no Ceres. The first version of the story is the one that Watase used in the seres, except for the ending, which she changed to suit her purposes.

Version One

There was once a celestial being who came down from the heavens to bathe in a lake. She hung her feathered robes upon a tree while she bathed and while she was bathing a fisherman came by. He saw the women and the robes and decided to take them for himself. So he took the feathered robes and hid it. Meanwhile, the celestial being finished her bathing and went to gather her robes so she could return to the heavens, but was unable to find it. She saw the fisherman standing nearby and asked him to return her feathered robe to her. But he refused, saying he did not know where it was, and she began to cry. He comforted her and decided to take her as his wife. They married and had children. One day, while listening to her children sing; the celestial being learned the location of her celestial robe. She found it, put it on and returned to the heavens; leaving her husband and children behind.

Version Two

A fisherman, named Hairukoo, was sitting by a lake enjoying the scene one day when he noticed feathered robes hanging from a tree. When he went to take them for himself, a beautiful maiden came forward and requested that he not take the robes from her. He declined, because the robes were so beautiful, and wanted to keep them all the more. But the woman got very upset, which made the fisherman feel guilty and so he promised to return the robes if she would dance for him. She agreed, but she said she was only able to dance with her robes on. At first, he didn't want to give them to her, but she convinced him saying that he could believe her word over a normal mortal. He gave the robes to her and she began to dance and sing for him, but as she was dancing she floated higher and higher in the sky until she was out of sight and had returned to the heavens.

Version Three

There was once a young man who lived in Higashikawa who was told to go out hunting by his father. He was upset and was unable to hunt though, because his bow had been stolen by some bandits. So while he was walking he decided to go swim in a lake near a small waterfall. As he neared the lake he heard weeping and saw a young maiden. She told him that her feathered robes were stolen and she couldn't return to the heavens without them. He decided to get them back for her, and found the bandits, who had also stolen his bow. He tricked them and stole back his bow and the maidens' robe. In thanks, the maiden put on her robes and danced a heavenly dance for the man. When she was finished dancing the small waterfall had turned into a large one and the woman had returned to the heavens.