Their Symbolic Interest in Weather: Representations of Snow in Ancient Times

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  • 気象によせる関心
  • 気象によせる関心 : 古代の「雪」
  • キショウ ニ ヨセル カンシン : コダイ ノ 「 ユキ 」
  • ―― 古代の「雪」 ――

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Abstract

<p>What kind of images did ancient people have about a natural phenomenon? This article will focus on the representations of snow to examine the symbolic functions of weather in ancient literature. Snow originally represented natural disaster in general, but in the six chronicles called Rikkoku-shi its image becomes more ritualistic due to the political and religious use of it at the imperial court. In Settsu-no-kuni-fūdoki, however, snow is poetically treated; the snowfall on the backs of deer is depicted with the image of a field covered with snow. It is also associated with salt that both metaphorically and metonymically conveys the local atmosphere of the area.</p>

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