Destiny Defined – Raiju
Destiny Armory Defined entry
Basic Information
Released: Destiny 2: Season of the Worthy
Rarity: Exotic
Category: Armor
Armor Subcategory: Chest
Armor Perk: Mobius Conduit
Affiliations: Arc; Hunter; Tyv Lucine
Expanded Information
Within the lore entry, the Hunter mentioned as obtaining the Harness, Tyv Lucine, is a compatriot of Saint-14’s before his disappearance into the Infinite Forest. She is mentioned as being part of the attempt to rescue civilians from the Fallen alongside Marin and Saint, within the entries of Burden Part I and Burden Part II from the lore book, The Pigeon and the Phoenix.
Definition Summary
Raijū: “thunder beast” with “bear like claws” who can live in people’s belly buttons (Japanese mythology); companion of Raijin (Shinto god of lightning), during thunderstorms it leaps about, clawing trees and buildings, lighting fields ablaze, & howling with loud cries of thunder.
In Japan, thunder and lightning were the elements of the Raijū, or literally “thunder beast,” the mighty servants of the Shinto god of thunder. They are described as looking something like a badger, weasel, cat, or fox and sometimes said to look like a wolf or monkey. Shinto stories speak of the creatures having wings, or having multiple tails.
Raijū are believed to descend to the earth upon lightning bolts or travel about in hovering balls of lightning. They are depicted as being wreathed in crackling tendrils of lightning and their voices were said to boom like thunder. They can ignite with lightning, and leap from tree to tree, tearing bark with their claws. Raijū were also believed to be calm, yet very aggressive during storms. Burnt tree bark and scorched tree trunks were told in folklore as a result of the claws of a Raijū’s wrath.
The superstitions about belly buttons stem from the belief that Raijin likes to devour the belly buttons or abdomens of children who dare to show their bare stomach to him during a storm. During storms, the Raijū are released from the control of the god Raijin and enjoy snuggling up in the navel of unsuspecting people who leave them uncovered. In order to wake up the Raijū, Raijin will hurl lightning bolts at the navels of these people, electrocuting them.
Lord Nagai, in the Iwatsuki ward of Saitama prefecture was said to have caught a Raijū while it was tearing through a garden and damaging vegetables in the aftermath of a storm. When captured, the creature was kept for a time in a cage before it died from refusing to eat or drink. It was reported to have an appearance of a puppy with the claws of a bear. Its feet were described as having many knuckles, and the pelt was thin except for thicker fur beneath the legs.
Another legend states a Raijū fell into a well in Izumo province, where it became hopelessly entangled in ropes and was captured alive. The creature was trapped and shown in exhibitions within a cage of brass in the court of the temple of Tenjin, in Matsue city. It was described as a badger. When weather was nice, the Raijū was quite docile & quiet. However, during storms it would transform into a ferocious, hissing beast, barely contained by its cage and with eyes that were said to flicker and flash ominously as if filled with lightning.
