Where does “八岐大蛇” come from?

八岐大蛇 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 大蛇, from Japanese 霊, from Middle Chinese 靈.

八岐大蛇 (Japanese): Yamata no Orochi, a legendary dragon that was slain by Susanoo

Definitions

  1. Yamata no Orochi, a legendary dragon that was slain by Susanoo

Ancestry of “八岐大蛇”, step by step

八岐大蛇 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 大蛇

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese大蛇a large snake
2Japanese霊ghost; a soul, a spirit
3Middle Chinese靈—

via Japanese 八

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese八eight, 8; eight; Short for 八の字
2Middle Chinese八—

via Japanese 股

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese股crotch, the space between the thighs
Every word from Middle Chinese 靈 →Every word from Japanese 霊 →Every word from Japanese 大蛇 →