Yamato-takeru: an 'Arthurian' hero in Japanese tradition.

From: Asian Folklore Studies | Date: October 1, 1995| Author: Littleton, C. Scott | Copyright information

The Yamato-takeru story parallels closely that of King Arthur's. Among the more significant parallelisms are that both have two magical swords, which in the end had to be thrown back to the sea; relationships with a woman with supernatural powers; and military leadership. It is quite possible that the two stories are rooted in a single source: Central Asia, the point of origin of two groups of peoples, the Alans and the Sarmatians. These two peoples have a folk-hero called Batraz, whose explo...

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