コロポックル

so today i discovered what really is pokkuru.

it`s kinda strange all the name story. one day, 2 years ago or something, i just woke up with the name in my head, a name thet i dreamed that night and that told me absolutely nothing: pokkle. checked on google, nothing. thought a while, the name sounded kinda cute japanese way. so i tried japanized pronunciation: pokkuru. appeared some game character. ok, i thought, whatever. but i liked the name and i stayed with it.

today i was checking sth about my blog on google and i found wiki article. so the pokkuru really exists, and it`s not only some stupid game name!

in fact, they were called koropokkuru and were a tribe of little people from ainu mythology. i can`t seem to find much more info than just this now, and my ass is already hurting of sitting so much in front of pc ;P

koro means butterbur plant, and so koropokkuru are people that live under the leaves of this plant. the ainu myth says that they were little people who inhabited that land even before ainu. they were of very small posture and they didn`t like to be seen. kinda antisocial, like me ;) but they loved to give presents, food and ceramic, for unlike ainu they were very skilled ceramic crafters. but one day one audacious young ainu man made a trap in a place where koropokkuru usually left the gifts for ainu and captured a little koropokkuru girl. since then, nobody ever seen one koropokkuru.

other versions say that they weren`t a tribe, they were some kind of fairies, or even spirits. even seems that there are some mentions in classic japanese literature of some tiny footprints and other small artifacts found. so who knows, maybe koropokkuru really existed? :)

they also say that koropokkuru were very friendly, peaceful, nature-loving people. and loved playing tricks on others ;)


issun, a koropokkuru from Ōkami game

anyways, looks like the myth of koropokkuru lived through the ages and entered our global popculture. they are in some way present in lots of videogames, like dungeons & dragons: oriental adventures, or this Ōkami game that i found out about today. it`s graphics is so beautiful that i would play it, just for the pure aesthetical experience, despite my general despite for videogames. and anime also, and ask me if i`m already not downloading one called shaman king :)

btw, anybody`s seen it? is it good?

so, i`m thinking... maybe i`ll change my name? koropokkuru would be too obvious, but kuropokkuru seems nice, kuro for black in japanese, and kuro for the first part of my new surname. sweet?

btw2, i finally started my so dreamed japanese lessons, should do my homework in fact ;) it`s been like 2 years that i`ve been dreaming to take a course, so i wonder... why the hell am i not more enthusiastic about it???!!