Korean shamanism

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Description

한국 설화에 등장하는 Spirit. Korean shamanism, also known as Musok (Korean: 무속; Hanja: 巫俗), is a religion from Korea. Scholars of

Origin & Background

The origin of Musok is uncertain, but the earliest historical mention of mudang dates back to the 12th century. During the Joseon Dynasty, Confucian elites oppressed mudang through taxes and legal sanctions, considering their rituals inappropriate. From the late 19th century, many modernizers regarded Musok as superstition and supported its suppression. In the early 20th century, during the Japanese colonial period, nationalist folklorists began to argue that Musok was an ancient Korean religion and an expression of national culture, which was later strongly promoted by mudang. In the mid-20th century, persecution of mudang continued in North Korea, and they were also oppressed through new community movements in Korea. From the late 1970s, positive evaluations of mudang began to emerge in Korea, especially as they were seen as a source of Korean cultural identity associated with the popular democratization movement.

The Legend

Musok is a polytheistic religion centered around shaman spirits (신령, sinryeong) and ancestral spirits (조상령, josangnyeong). At the heart of this tradition are ritual specialists known as mudang, who are mostly women. Mudang act as mediators between clients and the supernatural world, performing divination to identify the causes of clients' misfortunes, and conducting gut rituals to offer food and drink to gods and spirits or entertain them with stories, songs, and dances. Mudang are divided into various subtypes depending on the region, with the largest group being kangsin-mu, which has historically been dominant in northern Korea. These include rituals personally owned by gods or ancestral spirits.

Variants

Mudang are generally divided into two main types: kangsin-mu (신이 내려온 무, the shaman possessed by a god) and sesŭp-mu (세습 무, hereditary shaman). Kangsin-mu perform rituals possessed by supernatural beings, while sesŭp-mu include interactions with such beings but are not possessed. The kangsin-mu tradition has historically been more common in northern and central regions of Korea, while sesŭp-mu is more prevalent in the southern regions south of the Han River. Specific terms for mudang are also used depending on the region. For example, in Jeolla Province, sesŭp-mu is referred to as tanggol, and in Jeju Island, it is called simbang.

In Popular Culture

Musok is primarily found in Korea, with over 200,000 mudang existing. Attitudes towards religion in Korea have historically been inclusive, but mudang have long been marginalized. In modern Korea, mudang are often regarded as frauds, and there is widespread resentment towards them, especially among Christians. However, modern mudang feel that their practices have degenerated in the face of capitalism and modernization, and they argue that contemporary mudang exhibit a more materialistic and selfish approach compared to their historical predecessors.

This article is based on the Wikipedia article "Korean shamanism" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia