The Scroll Order Mistake.

I had to edit a previous post because the Kunitsu-Gami wiki is incorrect. I won't be using that anymore because they have the scrolls out of order, which affected my theories. Feh. It's my own fault for not checking things myself. I worry how many old theories were affected. 

But I'm always changing my mind so it doesn't matter.

I'll use this as a reference. I took it from the game.

As you can see, I made the mistake of thinking Phantom Paths was directly before Eternal Pool of Sunlight. I also factor in we see the Birth of a Goddess scroll after the end credits of NG+, which makes me assume Yoshiro ascended then.

More importantly...

The scrolls describe Yoshiro's journey. But we play 'Soh's journey'.

We have to assume they're ultimately one being...

Once again, it's probably a lot simpler than what I think it is.

If Yoshiro is a reincarnation of Soh and the Maiden is reincarnated every generation, then Yoshiro prays to her old body?

And the Maiden made a pact with the Goddess so why is she...a Goddess like this? She must be the twelfth ancestral deity. 

A photo of the Maiden's hands

POV: you are Yoshiro in the tent

The Other Side

When in the tent, Soh probably partially reveals her face.

Yoshiro, the Living Buddha.

I was looking at this image again. How the defilement is held even within the symbol of the Goddess. When I went to translate the kanji again(祓: Purification), I came across a website that had a Japanese review of Kunitsu-Gami with spoilers.

A living Buddha! Interesting. It aligns with my idea of Soh as an emanation, because that's what she is. An emanation of the previous Maiden, sent by herself as the Goddess. 

Yes, Soh is an emanation of Yoshiro. The previous Yoshiro.

But...a Living Buddha is alike to the Dalai Lama. If this is Yoshiro then reincarnation is definite and Yoshiro and Soh are one in the same, being reincarnated through different bodies.

A lot like the Avatar, yes? Aang is the Avatar but can speak with and receive guidance from his former selves. Except in this case, Yoshiro's former self as appeared to her as an emanation.

Could this explain it all?

I mentioned before the Goddess seems to move through bodies.

Yoshiro is a substitution for the Goddess...but we can actually say she's an Avatar of the Goddess as it's quite clear she's Divine in nature.

This might just be it...

So, not 7 individual maidens but 7 reincarnations...?

Defiled State.

The Defiled State makes Soh look like she's full of holes. It prevents her from guiding the villagers or healing them.

Is it just gameplay or is there lore here?

Eternal Pool of Sunlight

Blooming Goddess.

This is the Kokeshi Doll Mazo talisman.

At the top of her head blooming is the flower associated with Soh. On her chest, is a magatama pendant.

I thought this thing was always clipping but it might actually be directly on the skin of her chest.

Soh and Yoshiro are roles played a Maiden.

Yoshiro is the 'Body of the Goddess' with Soh being the Spirit. (More here)
Played by different Maidens in a cycle, the Maiden walking the Path and the Messenger having walked the Path.

Once Yoshiro completes the path and becomes the Goddess, she becomes defiled. (Or she becomes the Goddess and then walks the Path, becoming defiled in the process, due to this image)
As the Goddess, she sends her spirit as 'Soh' to guide the next Maiden on the Path.

So yes, Yoshiro and Soh are one but not in the way you'd think. It's two roles a Maiden moves through, with her role as Soh being in relation to the future Maiden.

I believe the Goddess inhabits the body of the Maiden as this is something that can occur in Shinto.
Or maybe it's just her powers? If so, the result might be a 'Kunitsukami', a god created on Earth. It would explain why it's 'Birth of a Goddess' and not 'the Goddess'.

If it's the former, why does this happen? Is the Goddess trying to purify herself? Why does this cycle exist?

What did Soh do to break it? What was different about her?

If it's the latter, then Maidens who walk the Path and become the Goddess become defiled due to humanity's actions. Over and over again, they defile the Goddess. Every generation.

Fun fact:

Soh's flower blooms around Yoshiro when night begins.

I kept the last few seconds because of Soh

The basin has Soh's flower in it.

Clarity.

Typing the same things over and over on this blog has helped me realize things.

Yoshiro as the body of the Goddess and Soh as the spirit.

It's not that Soh is Yoshiro's spirit, as in the Maiden playing the role, but the spirit of the Goddess Yoshiro is becoming and Soh once was. Or perhaps Yoshiro has become the Goddess already and now must purify the land, but doing so defiles her. Soh remains the spirit.

The human sacrifice scroll...is the Maiden forfeiting her identity. Hence why I say these two are nameless.

Still many questions about why the cycle exists and how it began.