Fishermen’s Battle
Seven men were fishing when a wind blew their boat away from shore. The boat was magically pulled to the shore from an island where they met a good looking young man. This man claimed responsibility for the storm. The man called others from the woods and they brought food for the fishermen. After the food, the mysterious man told how he was king of this island and that a king of a neighboring island was coming to kill him so that the other king could have both islands. The men said that they would help. The man warned that neither he nor the other king was human and that the battle would be dangerous. The plan was for the fishermen to fire arrows into the battle. The next morning they saw fireballs on the horizon, but these were just the eyes of a giant centipede. When the centipede reached the island, a giant serpent came out of the grass. The centipede was winning, but the fishermen’s help allowed the serpent to win. As a reward, the men were allowed to live on the beautiful island. The men were able to go home and get their families and return.
Animals Incorporated
Centipede
Serpent
Origin
Naito, Hiroshi, and Masahiko Nishino. Legends of Japan. Rutland, Vt: C. E. Tuttle Co, 1972.