檀君神話의 한 硏究

• 영문명: A Study on the Tankun (檀君) Myth
• 발행기관: 백산학회
• 저자명: 黃浿江(Hwang P’ae-gang)
• 간행물 정보: 『백산학보』第3號, 109~131쪽, 전체 23쪽
• 주제분류: 인문학 > 역사학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 1967.12.01

영문 초록

In the passage on Ancient Korea, Samkuk-Yusa (三國遺事) makes mention of the the Tankun legend, a myth of the farming Han(韓) race. The illegitimate son of the supreme god Hwanin(桓因), Hwanung(桓雄) descended upon the earth with grain as present. Thus he is a rebellious type comparable to Prometheus, who left Zeus to side with man. The descent of Hwanung is indicative of the primeval phenomenon of grain cultivation and is also related to the creation of the universe, which turned chaos into cosmos. The tiger sharing the same den with the bear is an allusion to the myth of man originating from the cave; the two seem to suggest “phratry” or “moiety” as in the dualism of twins. As can be seen in ancient religious faith, heaven, the top of Taebaek(太白) Mountain, and the den are symbolic of the center of the univerese, being on the common axis. Sindansu(神檀樹) is the holy place where heaven, the earth, and the underworld converge as well as the holy altar which gives life to all things and order to the world. The bear’s metamorphosis into woman after keeping away from the sunlight means death as bear and life as man, symbolizing a farming ritual with the “new born” as the archetype; it also symbolizes the initiation of a girl into womanhood after adhering to the sunlight taboo. Emerging from the holy place, the bear-woman came into contact with Hwanung, the religious progenitor. This union hints the custom of “marrying god” that primitive man used to observe before matrimony. Hwanung and the bear-woman also represent “moiety” and reflect two contrasting worlds. Their marriage symbolizes “marrying god” and further the joining as well as separating of heaven and earth. As a result, Tankun was born as the first human being. The bear’s adherence to taboo and metamorphosis into woman, Hwanung’s descent on the earth(paradise lost) and sublimation (paradise returned) show the ever repeating rhythms of human power of life. The Tankun myth tells of the beginning of the rhythms of human life and, at the same time, indicates that the rhythms repeat themselves and reappear in human rituals. It is a myth of Korean farmers in primeval times who sensed the rhythmic changes of the universe, and it shows the primordial state of farming rituals.

목차

Ⅰ. 序說

Ⅱ. 穀物栽培民의 祭儀

Ⅲ. 雙分體制上의 桓雄과 熊女

Ⅳ. 日光禁忌와 脫皮 motive

Ⅴ. 結語