| The Grass-Cutting Sword | |
| Author: | Catherynne M. Valente |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | Postmodern novella |
| Publisher: | Prime Books |
| Release Date: | December 1, 2006 |
| Media Type: | Paperback |
| Pages: | 127 pp |
| Isbn: | 0-8095-6230-8 |
| Oclc: | 71827154 |
The Grass-Cutting Sword is a novella by Catherynne M. Valente. It was published by Prime Books in 2006.
The tale is a postmodern interpretation of the Japanese folk-tale of Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi ("Heaven's Cloud-Gathering Sword"), which is taken from the collection of folk-lore in the Kojiki. The action shifts between the journey of the storm-god Susanoo who has been banished to earth in human form by his sister, the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, as he attempts to slay the eight-headed serpent Yamata-no-Orochi. Valente also portrays the serpent's side of the story with a twist; the tale told by Orochi is intercut or added to by the seven maidens who have been sacrificed to the monster.[1]