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.