Toyotama-Hime /
Puteri Ulek Mayang

A long time ago I met someone on a boat who tells stories to his community like me. He was Japanese. It was a hot, sunny day when he told me the story about a sea goddess and a hunter prince who fell in love by the beach. I think their names were Toyotama-hime and Yamaschi-hiko. Toyotama-hime before becoming a sea goddess, believe it or not, used to live on land. But of course, her life had always been entangled with the sea, living right on the boundary between land and ocean. Even as a young girl she was set to be married to her childhood friend, a fisherman.

However, one day a group of different-looking people who dressed funny had come to their kingdom and their influence spread slowly throughout the village that Toyotama-hime was living in. Soon after them labourers who were also different-looking but not the same as the former poured in nearby the village albeit segregated. Not much changed in Toyotama-hime’s life for a while until she started noticing whenever she looked out her window just as the sun was about to set, her older friends and other women would make their way to a large house down the shore. She would call out to them to ask them to meet up tomorrow to go to the market or have food together. Her friends would always agree to do so the night before but always woke up too late forgetting what they had agreed on the day before.

Whispers started going around and people told Toyotama-hime to stay clear of those friends. Until one day, her friends including the fisherman heard of a nice big ship that pulled up to the shore. It was the talk of the town on how the different-looking people owned and crafted it. They decided to go see it when less people were around. The girls agreed to meet first and the boys would catch up at the ship. The ship was unlike anything they have seen, defying logic how something that big could still float on the sea. Toyotama-hime may have seen ships with multiple levels but this one was bigger and larger. The boys had yet to turn up and the girls were unsure whether they were late or lost as to where the ship was. The three of them were worried it would be dark soon and decided maybe it was time to head back after spending a few minutes marvelling at it.

Suddenly, a different looking man appeared on the ship, smiled and waved at them. He said some things but Toyotama-hime and her friends could not understand what he said. They were discussing that now was probably the time to run away and as the man seemed to inch closer, their hearts stopped and their legs intuitively carried them away. They ran as fast as they could until they were out of breath, giggling against the setting sun, till they reached their neighbourhood. The next day, the girls questioned the group of boys where they were. The group of boys explained they saw another ship and were confused that the girls told them there was another, refusing to believe them. The group of girls were adamant in proving they weren’t lying and arranged to meet and see the ship once again.

The boys wanted to race the girls on the beach, while the girls refused, one of them said her reasoning “you never know when you can chance upon a tide jewel!” The fisherman picked up a stone and snarked back, “you can’t possibly believe that you would be able to find one, what makes you so special? Here, have this instead.” Another girl harped “If I ever found one I would wish for a rich prince charming who was kind to me. What would you wish for Toyotama-hime?” She giggled and said her wish was already technically granted, glancing at the fisherman. The fisherman acknowledged what she had implicitly said and interjected “I would wish for the scar on my body to go away so I would be perfect for the woman I would be with.” Eventually they made their way to the ship while teasing and continuing to argue about the tide jewel’s existence and what they would do with its rumoured power. In no time they reached the ship and the different looking man was on it once again, waving and smiling.

The next day a man visited Toyotama-hime’s house with an interpreter. Everyone in the neighbourhood including her family was confused why they would visit their house. Soon it became clear as the interpreter spoke to her parents about living her nights among the different looking men for quite a sum of money. Her parents looked conflicted, but Toyotama assured that if the money was good she would do it for her family. Her parents reach for her hand and say don’t worry it won’t be long till her family finds a tide jewel soon enough to wish us away from such a situation. Her first night eventually came, and the mood was solemn among her family as they watched her pack a change of clothes and made her way to the house along the shore against the setting sun. It would be her first time staying alone in another place, and having a room all by herself.

She waited in the room eagerly, thinking maybe she would be able to knock on some doors and find her friends that she had not seen in a while. Maybe she could wake them up on time so they would be able to head to the market together. But her thoughts were stopped abruptly as in the room came the different looking man from the boat. He smiled, although the kind of sinister smile that churns your gut. He said some words, but she could not understand him. Frustrated that she could not understand him, he grabs her wrists. What she had experienced she could not put into words. All she could do was cry. Every night since then would be the same pain that she would have to relive. It started to blur and coalesce into one. She would stare at the ceiling, hoping her ordeal would end.

After a few months of noticing her unchanging sadness and being unable to meet as often, the fisherman asked her what the matter was. She had grown so solemn to the point she could burst into tears over nothing. Eventually he asked if marriage would make her happier. Toyotama-hime weighed whether being with her fisherman would be much better but before she had time to mull it over, the next day his family was at her house asking for wedding preparations to be made. Her family seemed a lot more joyous about this arrangement, and if it meant not having to stare at the ceiling trying to hold back her tears anymore, she thought that her suffering would end.

* * * * *

That night was a particularly hot one, where people were tossing and turning in their beds trying to find some relief from the heat to eventually fade into sleep when screams came from Toyotama-hime. It was the sounds of Toyotama-hime’s birth pangs that reverberated into the neighbours’ houses. But soon the fisherman’s voice thundered and amplified to fill the whole village. Upon hearing the fisherman, the people quickly turned on their oil lamps to inspect the commotion, with the fisherman screaming that the child Toyotama-hime had given birth to is not his.

As the fisherman was about to leave the house, his heart torn on what to do, he opened the door to find there were already a bunch of people grouping together outside his house. Some were concerned if help was needed while most were there to just judge and entertain themselves with what was going on. He thought he would get his justice served by the crowd. He scurried off back into the house and returned to the crowd at his doorstep with his newborn baby, pointing out his fair complexion in comparison to Toyotama-hime and his. Immediately, they knew Toyotama-hime must have been unfaithful or worse, a prostitute. People from the crowd gasped and yelled out to the fisherman to banish her, another to send her back to the whorehouse with her baby.

Toyotama-hime was lying in the bedroom unable to stop her tears as she stared at the ceiling, while listening to the uproar of the village in crescendo. Her helplessness was heavy on her chest and felt she was on the edge of a mania, unsure of how she found herself in this position. She wanted to wail, but stopped herself in fear of the mob, there was no way to free herself of the different looking man and the wrath of the fisherman and the village, surely in support of him. An idea came to her.

She cleaned up after herself and made her way through the backdoor of her house, escaping to the beach and ran to the only place she knew she could maybe escape — the ship. The dark figure of the ship could be made out in the faraway distance, and she ran as fast as her legs could carry her ailing body. As she ran the sand picked up by her feet scattered, leaving a light trail. Inching closer and closer to the ship, she finally made it. But this time no one was on it. Maybe she could go back to the different looking men's house? But she swore to never return, as she was certain to find herself trapped there again with no future marriages to look forward to.

Toyotama-hime weighed her options and decided there was only one thing she could do. She decided that life was not worth living anymore and at least if she died, it would not be facing the ceiling but with the sky and universe above her. She takes a step into the longshore current of the beach. When the waves retreated, she saw something sparkle before her. She immediately recognised it. It was the tide jewel. She had never seen one before. She picked it up and stepped further and further into the sea. The tide was high and slowly enveloped her feet, then legs and then body. Eventually she made it to what would be her last step before she would be completely submerged and unable to keep afloat. She held the stone near her heart, made her wish and surrendered herself to the sea.

* * * * *

After Toyotama-hime’s death that fateful day, there were rumours and whispers that she didn’t actually die but managed to live among the sea creatures as the currents and tides rose like never before. The tides would consume parts of the village and especially, areas populated by the different looking men while fishermen could no longer go out to the sea. People turned to the local shamans to interpret what had sparked the floodings and deaths, where some corroborated that Toyotama-hime was indeed adopted by the legendary sea deity Watatsumi or Dragon God. Unsure what to do to calm the seas, villagers left all sorts of trinkets and things on the beach, as a peace offering to end her wrath. But the next day all of it would be washed by the morning, consumed by the vast sea with fierce rage.

For many months the village people suffered until a hunter pulled his boat back up shore after having searched and searched for his fishing hook lost at sea. It wasn’t just any fishing hook as it was something he borrowed from his elder brother who earned the nickname the Luck of the Sea, probably for not having his life been consumed yet while many have abandoned the profession altogether for fear of being swallowed by Toyotama-hime. The hunter desperately needed a drink of water. The princess was watching his boat go around in circles, sensing his tiredness and frustration in his search for a needle in a haystack.

She went to draw water from the well and before she knew it the hunter was already waiting for his drink of water on top of the tree that was above the well, spying on her between the branches. He too was captivated by her beauty as she was with him.
“You’re Toyotama-Hime aren’t you?”
“Yes. And who are you?”
“I’m Yamasachi-hiko, can I have that drink of water in your hand please?”
It was the first time in a long time Toyotama-hime had conversed with someone on land and was surprised that someone recognised her. She handed over the drink of water not knowing what to say nor compose herself around him anymore.

He continued, “You know people in this village fear you? But don’t worry I have never done so as my brother’s fishing hook has always managed to make us a living and also keep us safe at sea.” Toyotama-hime did not really know how to respond to a statement like that but eventually after a long pause she explained “It wasn’t for revenge but to drive out the different looking people from hurting more women like they did to me.”

Yamasachi-hiko and Toyotama-hime bonded immediately, as Yamasachi-hiko had a familiar someone she knew in the twinkle of his eye. Day in, day out he would set out his boat for fishing while trying to find his brother’s magical fishing hook, plenty of time for Toyotama-hime to notice and follow his boat to shore. They would have a drink from the well and exchange stories about the village like the tragedies that had befallen it and good times.

As she spent more and more time on land, her father noticed that Yamaschi-hiko was not a mortal and asked her to invite him to their sea palace. And soon indeed Yamasachi-hiko stood at the beach guided by Toyotama-Hime, into the ocean underworld. As the sea’s surface distanced further and further away, he thought anytime now he would drown and be unable to make it to the surface in time for a gasp of air but soon remembered he was with a woman who controlled the seas.

Their time spent together had now expanded beyond land, where they would swim among schools of water creatures together and venture to the ocean seabed to her palace and meet her six other sisters, introducing him to the new life that she had led. Soon after, they decided to get married and a banquet was hosted both in the mountains and the sea. Toyotama-hime decided to live on the land in a neighbouring village. Enough time has passed and maybe she might be able to live her life in peace. She was hesitant to become pregnant again but after some back-and-forth, they reached an agreement that if she were to become pregnant again Yamasachi-hiko was not to watch the birth of their child, given that had caused her death. Yamasachi-hiko assured her with sweet smiles that he would not go against his word.

* * * * *

It didn’t take long for Toyotama-hime to become pregnant. The 9 months had quickly passed, and her faint screams could be heard in the mountains. Yamasachi-hiko was not told where she would be giving birth as an extra precaution. He waited around anxiously, his mind racing from thinking about his unfinished quest for the lost fishing hook to analysing reasons behind why she was so adamant on sticking to this rule. What if even worse she was trying to separate him from his child? He thought she would forget this absurd rule by the time she was about to give birth, which was the only reason he agreed anyway. Also, wouldn’t such a powerful sea deity like herself not have to worry about her past life ever repeating again?

He couldn’t stand being there alone with his thoughts. He told himself that he would hunt in the mountains. Upon reaching the mountains, he heard her screams grow louder and set out to find her. Maybe he could at least stand guard as he refused to admit to himself that he was curious as to why she would set such a strange rule. In no time her screams led him to a thatched house on a side of the mountain. He would make his decision without second thought and peeked through the window. After all, what is so wrong with a man who wanted to know if his wife and newborn child were alright? With a little peek he saw a big, dark monstrous creature, tossing and turning. Yamasachi-hiko couldn’t make out what it was and all he could hear was Toyotama-hime screaming, is this being attacking her? If it is, he needs to protect her.

He did not care anymore about the rule set and stood up with his arrow drawn at the creature, only to see the creature which was a cross between a crocodile, shark and dragon was the one screaming in pain. Where is Toyotama-hime? In fear of the creature, he inched closer with his weapon at the creature and demanded to know where Toyotama-hime was. The creature was surprised and then immediately saddened to see Yamasachi-hiko, putting a stop to its screams before muttering “I told you again and again, to not witness the birth of our child. You promised me.” His mouth gaped open upon realising the monstrous figure was indeed Toyotama-hime all along. He tried not to show his disgust at what she had shapeshifted into but his body would betray him between the stench and the sight of her. He immediately vomits on the floor while his sweat and tears mixed into the puddle. Yamasachi-hiko held his nose and tried to look at her again, but he couldn’t bear to see her in this state with slippery, slimy gills all over her body, protruding eyeballs and discoloured skin. What kind of child would she even give birth to? He walks out of the house quickly in order to let out a thick stream of vomit in between loud retching and gagging.

Toyotama-hime lets out a painful wail with just about enough energy to push and give birth to her baby. Her baby let out a shriek as though it knew it was born between tears of confusion, sadness and anger. The midwives attempted to soothe the baby’s first cries as it entered into this strange world. She was here again where her husband would reject her just after having given birth. Will she never escape her fate? She looks out the window and asks Yamasachi-hiko if he can accept her after having seen her true self. Yamasachi-hiko retched even more as her stench of brine and stinging sulphur grew as she came closer to him. He shook his head.

For a moment, Totyotama-hime resigned to her fate. Maybe she wished wrong with the tide jewel. She thought because she was rejected before for being weak, poor and abused, she wished for the opposite. This is what she had become. The whole village was against her before and she couldn’t do anything about it but now she could. She could control the vast seas and endless creatures in it. But despite all this, she came full circle. She did not expect to fall in love and experience childbirth again, but she did and even took precautions. But here she is now once again, a rejected woman for circumstances she couldn’t control, unable to escape her past. Her despair turned to rage as Toyotama-hime leaped at Yamasachi-hiko through the window, took him with her before she disappeared into the sea once again, she took his soul and left his body behind by the beach. She needed to do something but she didn’t know what else, she thought maybe this could be a warning to the village folk.

And indeed people from the village were aghast, having heard stories of fierce tides and floodings from their neighbouring village. Word travelled fast and fishermen from various villages and towns immediately rowed their boats back to shore upon hearing rumours of huge tidal waves and stirrings nearby. Either out of fear of their own lives or otherwise, some called the shamans to conduct a healing ritual to bring Yamasachi-hiko’s soul back to his body on land. One shaman, knowing time is of the essence, quickly put together an altar, lit up some incense and under his breath made a call for the ancestral spirits and gods to descend, bless and inhibit the shaman’s body, sending him into a trance. He beats on his drum calling for help to balance Yamasachi-hiko’s cosmology. However, the ritual sparked a fierce tug-and-pull battle between Toyotama-hime who this time was not alone. Her six princess sisters who had also been exiled from the village at one point or another were ready to avenge their adopted sister. There was no place for women like her in the mortal life and the afterlife. Although she could control the seas, she was once again a rejected woman. She thought with a show of her power, she could at least instil fear in the village, especially the fishermen who depended on the sea. Maybe then they would change their ways.

The shaman’s hands and body were trembling uncontrollably as his lone mortal soul bears the weight of the ancestral spirits while clashing with the 7 sisters to calm the seas. But in just a few minutes of a stalemate, the goddesses of the sea prove their wrath was not to be toyed with as waves surged from afar to crash and smash into the beach with thunderous rage. The fishermen crowding around the shaman quickly scattered and ran away from the beach in fear of being pulled into and engulfed by the sea.

People from the village packed their things in a frenzy and fled, especially those who had full view of the ever-towering waves crashing while in the horizon what seemed to be nagas stirring the water into whirlpools grew ever in size that could swallow whole villages. Screams erupted and warning gongs were beaten frantically as Yamasachi-hiko’s body laid still on the sand and the lone shaman attempted to soothe the seas, in what seemed like a futile task. He chanted mantras under his breath with his eyes closed as he continued to beat on his drum.
“Do you not recognise me?” The shaman asked
“No, I do not, why would I?” Toyotama-hime replied angrily through the sea.
The shaman took off his shirt to reveal his scar. It was the fisherman in her previous life. The waves immediately dissipated into thin air and calmed down. The people stopped instantly in their tracks unsure whether it was just a pause or if the imminent danger was finally put to rest.

He continued, “I know I have wronged you in the past. I didn’t know until I could communicate with spiritual beings from the metaphysical world about the pain you endured. I wish I could tell you the world has changed since your death for the better for people like you, but I cannot. All I wanted to say is I know why you are doing this, and I am here to submit”. Toyotama-hime says nothing as she faced a dilemma on what else she could do to prevent her suffering as an unwanted woman after childbirth from being repeated in the world. But she was not easily convinced and stirred to create an even bigger wave than before and asked “What does it take to prevent my fate from happening again to the other women? I drove out the different looking men before, my mistake was only warning the fishermen.”

But before she could command the seas to destroy the village, her sisters stepped in and demanded an end to the battle. “This is not the way,” one of her sisters explained. She continued “Let those from the sea forgive those on land who have wronged them. Let those from land not repeat the mistakes they have carried out on those who live in the sea”. Her sister decides she will help raise the child on land to bridge their two worlds as she convinced Toyotama-hime that she was only helping her to warn the village but not consume it. Toyotama-hime rebutted her sisters stating she needs to end the cyclical fate of women like her while her other sisters agreed that simply destroying the village would not change anything. Even as the mighty beings are unable to come up with an answer on how to alter Toyotama-hime’s fate they manage to convince each other that destroying the village was not the way and that maybe returning to the seas which was kinder to them would be best. Toyotama-hime decides to return the hunter prince’s soul and swims off to the palace never to return to stir the village on such a scale as before. All was calm again and the people of the village rejoiced. To mark the occasion the people, present coloured rice and incense as used by the shaman on the day of the battle as an offering to not only the spirits of the sea but as an implicit recognition of their wrongdoings against Toyotama-hime.

That is the story of Toyotama-hime the sea goddess.

A child puts up his hand and asks, “Are you trying to say that Puteri Ulek Mayang can swim all the way to Japan?”