문전신

DeityKorea · East AsiaMythFear 1/10

Description

A deity from the folklore of Korea. Munsin (Korean: 문신; Hanja: 門神, literally Door god), known in the southernly Jeju Island as…

Origin & Background

The existence similar to Munsin is first recorded in Korean history as Cheoyong. According to the historical text 'Samguk Yusa', Cheoyong successfully defeated the disease god while having relations with his wife. After defeating the disease god, the people of Silla attached a portrait of Cheoyong to the front door of their homes to ward off illness. During the Goryeo Dynasty, the traditional worship of Munsin was influenced by Taoist rituals. It is recorded that during the reign of King Yejong, Taoist believers created a statue of Munsin.

The Legend

Munsin is known as the god who protects doors in Korean shamanism. In Jeju Island, he is known as Munjeonshin, and Munsin is considered a god that protects everything in the household. The people of Jeju would tell Munsin about everything that happened in their homes, and there is a saying that 'there is no work that Munsin does not know.' In Jeju, Munsin is divided into Ilmunshin, who guards the front door, and Huimunshin, who guards the back door, but there are no rituals for Huimunshin.

Variants

The worship of Munsin on the mainland is much weaker compared to Jeju Island. On the mainland, Munsin was primarily worshipped in urban areas and was almost non-existent in rural areas. On the mainland, Munsin was represented by talismans, portraits of Cheoyong, pictures of tigers or roosters, and writings that say 'Ipchun Daegil'. Worship of Munsin on the mainland took place in October and was briefly conducted after the worship of Seongjusin.

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