Shamanism is a primitive religion which does not have a systematic structure but permeates into the daily lives of the people through folklore and customs. Neolithic man in Korea had animistic beliefs that every object in the world possessed soul.

Man was also believed to have soul that never dies. So a corpse was laid with its head toward the east in the direction of the sunrise. Neolithic men believed that while good spirits like the sun would bring good luck to human beings, evil spirits would bring misfortune.

Shamanism gradually gave way to Confucianism or Buddhism as a tool for governing the people but its influence lingered on. The shaman, Mudang in Korean, is an intermediary who can link the living with the spiritual world where the dead reside. The shaman is considered capable of averting bad luck, curing sickness and assuring a propitious passage from this world to the next. The shaman is also believed to resolve conflicts and tensions that might exist between the living and the dead.

Korean shamanism includes the worship of thousands of spirits and demons that are believed to dwell in every object in the natural world, including rocks, trees, mountains and streams as well as celestial bodies.

Shamanism in ancient Korea was a religion of fear and superstition, but for modern generations, it remains a colorful and artistic ingredient of their culture. A shamanistic ritual, rich with exorcist elements, presents theatrical elements with music and dance.

The introduction of more sophisticated beliefs like Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism did not result in the abandonment of shamanistic beliefs and practices. They assimilated elements of shamanistic faith and coexisted peacefully. Shamanism has remained an underlying religion of the Korean people as well as a vital aspect of their culture.

Shamanism is a folk religion centered on a belief in good and evil spirits who can only be influenced by shamans. The shaman is a professional spiritual mediator who performs rites. Mudang, in Korean, usually refers to female shamans, while male shamans are called baksu-mudang.

When shamans dance, they enter a trance, and their souls depart their body for the realm of the spirits. By falling into ecstasy, the shaman communicates directly with the spirits and displays supernatural strength and knowledge as their mouthpiece. The shaman plays the role of an intermediary between human beings and the supernatural, speaking for the humans to deliver their wishes and for the spirits to reveal their will.

The extraordinary gift of the shaman allow him or her to be naturally distinguished from others in society. The belief that the shaman communicates with the spirits gives that person authority. In ancient societies, probably beginning from the time of tribal states, the shaman assumed the role of a leader as his or her supernatural powers contributed to the common interest of the community. As the possessor of transcendental abilities which were beyond the capacity of ordinary human beings, the shaman may be defined by the following characteristics:

First, the shaman has to have experienced the torture of the spirits by resisting being chosen for the vocation, which is manifested in the form of illness. The supernatural abilities of the shaman result from being the choice of the spirits. The illness breaks the resistance of the shaman candidate and the person has to accept the vocation.

Second, the shaman should be capable of officiating at rites in which they are believed to communicate with the spirits. The rites constitute an essential religious expression in shamanism.

Third, the shaman needs to be recognized as a religious leader with the ability to satisfy the spiritual requirements of the community.

Fourth, the shaman has to serve and assist specific spirits. This indicates that the shaman has experienced and accepted specific spirits at the time of initiation.

A great variety of spirits are worshiped in the pantheon of shamans, such as the mountain spirit, the seven star spirit, the earth spirit and the dragon spirit. In addition to these spirits in nature, the shaman may also serve the spirits of renowned historic figures including kings, generals and ministers.

Shamans are divided largely into two types according to their initiation process - those who are chosen by the spirits and those who inherit the vocation from their ancestors.

The shamans who are chosen by the spirits are endowed with supernatural powers to heal and to divine. They communicate with the spirits and speak for them in rites. The costumes used by these possessed shamans vary widely, reaching some 12 to 20 different kinds, representing the various spirits they embody. Percussion instruments are played in fast, exciting rhythms to accompany the shaman as she or he falls into an ecstatic state by dancing.

Without fail shamans of this type experience the so-called sinbyeong, the illness resulting from resisting the call of the spirits, as an unavoidable process of initiation. The shaman candidate usually faints, has visions, and similar symptoms. Then, in a vision or a dream, the spirit who has chosen them appears and announces that they have been selected, a call necessary for shamans to acquire their powers.

The illness will cause the future shaman to suffer for months, or perhaps for years. Shamans say that the illness lasts about eight years on the average, but in some cases, it may last as many as 30 years. It is characterized by an extremely unstable psychological state bordering on lunacy, the person can hardly eat and sometimes roams around in the fields and in the mountains. The illness, which defies modern medicine, disappears suddenly when the person finally gives way to the compulsion and becomes a shaman.

Then an initiation rite is held under the guidance of a senior shaman assuming the role of a godmother or a godfather. The novice shaman learns all the necessary skills of a professional shaman from the senior shaman before practicing on his or her own. The apprenticeship lasts for about three years in most cases though it may vary depending on individual talent.

Those who become shamans by inheritance do not possess transcendental powers, and their role is restricted mostly to the performance of rites. The rites they officiate at do not involve ecstasy for communion with the supernatural, and no specific spirits are worshiped. These shamans do not keep altars, and for each rite they set up a sacred passageway for the descending spirits. During a rite, the shaman does not embody the spirits but takes on a separate role.

The hereditary shamans use simple costumes of two or three kinds. But they use more colorful music, including not only percussion but also string and wind instruments as well. Both the music and the dance are much slower than those performed by the "possessed" shamans.

Rites are performed for various purposes in shamanism, a religious phenomenon with deep roots in folk traditions. The rituals are divided largely into those performed for the guardian spirits of the house and the family, those for the tutelary spirits of the community and those for the deities of the universe.

First, the rites are performed frequently to invoke happiness. In ancient times, shaman rites were performed at all levels of society ranging from the royal household down to remote villages. Historical records say that the court of the Goryeo Dynasty set up 10 state shrines to perform rites to invoke peace and prosperity for the nation. Shamans danced and played music at these shrines for national well-being. Private rites were observed by aristocrats and commoners as well to pray for happiness in the family and in the village. These developed into communal rites and festivals in later years.

Second, shaman rites are purported to cure illness. Ancient people believed illness was caused by spirits, which only the shamans could control. They even believed that the houses of the shamans were safe from the spirits causing illness, so, when epidemics spread, they took refuge at their houses.

During these epidemics, the royal court invited shamans to perform rites to expel the evil spirits. At private homes, rites were performed frequently to chase away the smallpox spirit, called mama (lord) or sonnim (guest), both implying that it was an object of fear.

Third, shaman rites are performed to escort the soul of a dead person to heaven. Shaman rites in Korea are intended not only to appease the soul of a deceased person but also to unleash the baleful elements which brought about the death. This allows the soul of the victim to find peace in heaven and to never bring bad fortune to the living. Particularly, deaths from illness or accidents were considered to need the rites in order to guide the wandering and unhappy souls of the dead to heaven.

Shaman rites are classified into three kinds based on their style. The simplest form is offering prayers while rubbing one's palms. Rites of the possessed shamans are characterized by an ecstatic state in which the shaman is deified or embodies the spirits. Rites of the hereditary shamans are also involved in communion with the supernatural, but the shaman and the spirits keep their separate identities.

In the shamanistic world view, human beings have both a body and a soul, or even several souls. The soul, which provides the vital force of life for the body, never perishes. After the body dies, the soul lives forever in the afterworld or is reborn in a new body.

Shamanism classifies souls into those of living persons and those of dead persons. The souls of dead persons are personified, too. These souls are believed to be formless and invisible but omnipotent, floating around freely in the void with no barriers of time or space.