Heading west, Ashitaka meets Jigo ("Jiko - bō '' in the original Japanese version), a wandering monk, who tells Ashitaka he may find help from the Great Forest Spirit, a deer - like animal god by day and a giant "nightwalker '' by night. Nearby, men herd oxen to Irontown ("Tataraba '' in Japanese), led by Lady Eboshi, and repel an attack by a wolf pack led by the wolf goddess Moro. Riding one of the wolves is San, a human girl. Ashitaka discovers two injured Irontown men and carries them through the forest, where he encounters many kodama and glimpses the Forest Spirit. In Irontown, Ashitaka learns that Eboshi built the town by clearcutting forests to claim ironsand and produce iron, leading to conflicts with the forest gods and Asano, a local daimyō. Irontown is a refuge for social outcasts, including lepers employed to manufacture firearms; it was one of these guns that had wounded Nago. Eboshi also explains that San was raised by the wolves as one of their own and resents humankind.
what is the forest spirit in princess mononoke
a deer - like animal god by day and a giant "nightwalker '' by night