세민황제본풀이

FolktaleKorea · East AsiaMythFear 4/10

Description

세민황제본풀이는 과거 제주도 남부에서 장례 의식 중에 구송되던 무속의 본풀이이다. 현재는 구전되지 않기 때문에 본풀이의 종류 중 하나인 특수본풀이로 분류된다. 이 신화에는 두 가지 판본이 알려져 있다. 1931년에 구송된 오래된 판본에서 폭군이었던 당태종은 죽은 뒤 생전에 부당하게 빼앗았던 것들을 보상해야 할 처지에 놓인다.

Origin & Background

Semin-hwangje bon-puri is a Korean shamanic narrative that was recited during funerals in the southern part of Jeju Island, and is now classified as a 'special bon-puri' due to the disappearance of the oral tradition.

The Legend

This narrative tells the story of how after the death of Emperor Taizong (Taejong) of China, he must repay the suffering souls for the sins he committed during his life, where he oppressed Buddhism and troubled the people. Taizong realizes that his afterlife treasury is empty, borrows money from a wealthy couple, Maeil and Jang-sang, compensates the victims, and then comes back to life. He disguises himself to witness the good deeds of Maeil and Jang-sang firsthand and resolves to live a moral life. Subsequently, he sends a monk to bring back Buddhist scriptures and takes Maeil and Jang-sang as mentors.

Variants

There are versions by Bak Bong-chun from 1931 and Jo Sul-saeng from 1961. Bak's version details the process of Taizong compensating the suffering souls to atone for his sins after his death and includes the journey to find the Buddhist scriptures. In contrast, Jo's version is shorter and lacks coherence, starting with the story of Maeil and Jang-sang's good deeds and featuring Taizong's appearance in the middle.

In Popular Culture

Semin-hwangje bon-puri played an important role in Jeju shamanic funerals, but since 1961, the oral tradition has disappeared and it is no longer recited. As traditional Jeju religion has declined since the 1960s, it is possible that relatively less significant narratives like Semin-hwangje bon-puri have been abandoned by shamans.

This article is based on the Wikipedia article "Semin-hwangje bon-puri" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia