Korean Shamanism: Encyclopedia - Korean Shamanism

Korean Shamanism

There are a number of shamanistic practices that are developed in Korea, where the role of a shaman is most frequently taken by women. They have deep roots and have inter-influenced Buddhism and Taoism. This meeting is mediated by a shaman. In contemporary Korean, a shaman is known as a mudang.

Even though belief in Korean shamanism is not as widespread as it once was, the practices are kept alive. In the past such shamanistic rites have included as agricultural rites, such as prayers for abundant harvest. With a shift away from agriculture in modern Korea this has largely been lost. The rites themselves underwent a number of changes through the Silla and Goryeo periods. Even during the Joseon Dynasty which was heavily Confucian, shamanistic rites persisted.

Korean shamanism is distinguished by its seeking to solve human problems through a meeting of humanity and the spirits. This can be seen clearly in the various types of gut that are still widely observed. Korean Shamanism has about a million adherents in China.

Korean Shamanism - Gut

The gut is a shamanistic rite where the shaman offers a sacrifice to the spirits. Through singing and dancing the shaman begs the spirits to intercede in the fortunes of the humans in question. The shaman wears a very colourful costume and normally speaks in trance. During a gut a shaman changes their costume several times.

There are three elements of a gut. Firstly there is the spirits as the object of folk beliefs. Secondly there is the believers who pray to those spirits. Finally there is the shaman mediating between the two.

The actual form of gut various between regions. The plot of the shamanistic rite depends largely on the objective of the ceremony. The individual character and ability of the shaman, finally, adds fine differences in style.

The main variations of gut are naerim-gut, dodang-gut and ssitgim-gut. The shamans can either be hereditary or spirit-possessed.

Korean Shamanism - Naerim-gut

This gut is an initiation rite. As part of the rite, someone becomes a shaman by being possessed by a spirit. The candidate suffers from an unknown illness which is called sinbyeong. This is also known as spirit sickness and characterized by a loss of appetite, insomnia, visual and auditory hallucinations. The naerim-gut cures this illness, while at the same time inducting a new shaman.

Korean Shamanism - Dodang-gut

This communal rite is common in central provinces in South Korea. Its aim is to wish for the well-being and prosperity of a particular village or hamlet. This rite is normally held annually or once every few years. It is always held either around the New Year or in spring or autumn. The dodang-gut is distinguished by giving prominent roles to female sorceresses.

Korean Shamanism - Ssitgim-gut

This rite is used to cleanse the spirit of a deceased person. Since ancient times there is a Korean belief that when somebody dies, their body cannot enter the world of the dead because if the impurity of their spirit. The ssitgim-gut washes away this impurity. It is observed mainly in the provinces in the south west of South Korea.

Korean Shamanism - Regional Shaman Rites

The traditional rites are not linked to the Gregorian calendar. They are linked either to a particular event, such as a death, or the lunar calendar.

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• Culture of Korea

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Korean Shamanism", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki