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Originally Posted by Sutibaru
Yes I am quite familiar with the Tengu. I probably would not call them goblins although they are defined in america as such. Like the "Oni" which are demons of hell are called "Ogres" in American translations. Come on, there is a difference between a demon and a ogre. Right?
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I agree that the analogy which translations usually make is a weak one. I believe Japanese mythology tends to regard any number of somewhat monstrous creatures as originating from Hell, whereas in the West, I think there is a greater variety of supernatural creatures which are not demonic.
A lot of dictionaries, though (I use the
Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary and
The New Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary render
tengu as "long-nosed goblin". It's one of those subtleties that leaves the translator with the choice of using a short but inaccurate phrase or a long explanatory footnote...