Rating the IQ of the Gods: Japanese Mythology
People remember the Japanese gods as delicate, mysterious beings. The myths tell a different story.
Izanagi and Izanami are the creator couple who gave birth to the Japanese islands and many gods.
When Izanami died giving birth to the fire god, Izanagi went all the way down to Yomi, the land of the dead, to bring her back.
The problem: he secretly looked at her rotting body, panicked and ran.
When the furious Izanami declared, "I will kill a thousand of your people every day," Izanagi calmly replied, "Then I'll make fifteen hundred be born every day."
Verdict: IQ 80. S-tier creativity, permanently missing the affection gene.
After dying in Yomi and being abandoned by her husband, she became the embodiment of rage.
She left behind the vow "I will kill a thousand a day" and became the goddess of the underworld.
Verdict: IQ 85. Severe mood swings.
Goddess of the sun and ancestor of Japan's imperial family.
When her brother Susanoo wrecked her sacred weaving hall and even caused the death of one of her maidens, she was so shocked she shut herself inside a rock cave. With the sun gone, the world went dark.
The other gods had to throw a wild party of dancing and noise just to lure her out.
Verdict: IQ 95. Plenty of dignity, but her stress management was at the level of refusing to go to work.
Amaterasu's younger brother. He threw tantrums, crying that he wanted to go to Yomi where his mother Izanami was, until his father kicked him out.
He ran wild in his sister's realm and was banished. But after his exile, he got the giant serpent Yamata no Orochi drunk on sake, slew it and rescued Kushinadahime, a true hero's turn.
Given that he designed a trap and used alcohol as a weapon, he wasn't a complete fool.
Verdict: IQ 80. Zero self-control, but strategic once he puts his mind to it.
He was bullied by more than eighty brothers and killed twice.
He helped the White Hare of Inaba and refused to give up through every ordeal Susanoo threw at him. In the end he married Susanoo's daughter Suseribime and became the great god who ruled the land of Japan.
Verdict: IQ 110. S-tier resilience and luck.
Average IQ of the Japanese gods: 90
Izanagi: 80
Izanami: 85
Amaterasu: 95
Susanoo: 80
Okuninushi: 110
Read the Kojiki line by line and you'll find far more family soap opera than you'd expect.
Read the original (Korean) →
Izanagi, the creator god who fled at the sight of his wife's corpse
Izanagi and Izanami are the creator couple who gave birth to the Japanese islands and many gods.
When Izanami died giving birth to the fire god, Izanagi went all the way down to Yomi, the land of the dead, to bring her back.
The problem: he secretly looked at her rotting body, panicked and ran.
When the furious Izanami declared, "I will kill a thousand of your people every day," Izanagi calmly replied, "Then I'll make fifteen hundred be born every day."
Verdict: IQ 80. S-tier creativity, permanently missing the affection gene.
Izanami, the goddess who went into revenge mode after being abandoned
After dying in Yomi and being abandoned by her husband, she became the embodiment of rage.
She left behind the vow "I will kill a thousand a day" and became the goddess of the underworld.
Verdict: IQ 85. Severe mood swings.
Amaterasu, the sun goddess who locked herself in a cave because of her brother
Goddess of the sun and ancestor of Japan's imperial family.
When her brother Susanoo wrecked her sacred weaving hall and even caused the death of one of her maidens, she was so shocked she shut herself inside a rock cave. With the sun gone, the world went dark.
The other gods had to throw a wild party of dancing and noise just to lure her out.
Verdict: IQ 95. Plenty of dignity, but her stress management was at the level of refusing to go to work.
Susanoo, the storm god and troublemaker of the heavens
Amaterasu's younger brother. He threw tantrums, crying that he wanted to go to Yomi where his mother Izanami was, until his father kicked him out.
He ran wild in his sister's realm and was banished. But after his exile, he got the giant serpent Yamata no Orochi drunk on sake, slew it and rescued Kushinadahime, a true hero's turn.
Given that he designed a trap and used alcohol as a weapon, he wasn't a complete fool.
Verdict: IQ 80. Zero self-control, but strategic once he puts his mind to it.
Okuninushi, the god who was bullied half to death and then hit the jackpot
He was bullied by more than eighty brothers and killed twice.
He helped the White Hare of Inaba and refused to give up through every ordeal Susanoo threw at him. In the end he married Susanoo's daughter Suseribime and became the great god who ruled the land of Japan.
Verdict: IQ 110. S-tier resilience and luck.
Average IQ of the Japanese gods: 90
Izanagi: 80
Izanami: 85
Amaterasu: 95
Susanoo: 80
Okuninushi: 110
Read the Kojiki line by line and you'll find far more family soap opera than you'd expect.
