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Created page with " Aoriyae was a local deity of the northern Ryukyu Islands associated with wind, rain, water, and military force. The term also came to refer to priestesses dedicated to th..."
Aoriyae was a local deity of the northern [[Ryukyu Islands]] associated with wind, rain, water, and military force. The term also came to refer to priestesses dedicated to this deity; based at [[Nakijin]] on [[Okinawa Island]], the Aoriyae priestess may have been the most powerful woman in the islands prior to the rise in stature and influence of the [[Kikoe-ogimi|Kikôe-ôgimi]] in the 16th century.
Possibly originated as a well-water deity on [[Kumejima]], Aoriyae later came to be associated with the war god [[Hachiman]], and is described in the ''[[Omoro soshi|Omoro sôshi]]'' as an "island-smashing priestess," the word ''shima'' ("island") in [[Okinawan language|Okinawan]] referring not only to physical islands but also to any well-defined settlement or community.
Aoriyae is often described in the ''Omoro'' as acting within, or otherwise being associated with, a sacred space called ''shike''. Some have suggested a connection between this ''shike'' and sacred spaces on [[Tsushima]] and elsewhere known as ''shigechi''.
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==References==
*Gregory Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', University of Hawaii Press (2019), 32-33.
[[Category:Deities]]
[[Category:Ryukyu]]