A study of bird worship in Korean national mythology
(Private Collection)
Scholar Wu Hua believes: "Bird worship is a product of primitive society, and as an ancient cultural phenomenon of the Korean nation, it not only has an important position and role in the mythology of the Korean nation, but also leaves a deep cultural imprint in the traditional culture of later generations." ”
(Private Collection)
"In Korean national mythology, there are eight kinds of birds that are sacred, including white hao, pigeons, chickens, cranes, magpies, crows, sparrows, and big birds, which play five roles, including pioneers, heralders, messengers, protectors, and guides. The bird worship in Korean national mythology contains cultural concepts such as pan-bird worship, egg worship, and witch beliefs. ”
(Private Collection)
"In mythology, various birds are often deified without showing special reverence for which birds, which reflects the pan-bird worship concept of the ancestors of the Korean nation. Secondly, some egg-born myths express the egg worship concept of the ancestors of the Korean nation. Egg worship is a derivative product of bird worship, and the egg birth myth is the product of the combination of ancient bird worship and sun worship of the Korean nation. Bird worship is also combined with witchcraft beliefs. ”
(Private Collection)
"The deep cultural implications of bird worship in Korean national mythology include the worship of the gods, the worship of the sun, and the folk psychology of revering the spirit bird and the sacred bird Huishi. Birds are regarded by the ancestors of the Korean nation as the messengers of the celestial realm and the symbol of the gods, and the underlying layer of this bird worship belief contains the ancient worship of the gods. Sun worship is a primitive belief with universality, and the sun worship of the ancestors of the Korean nation can be glimpsed through the myth of egg birth. The ancestors of the Korean nation believed that birds were divine, and they also believed that birds could give people favors, thus forming the folk psychology of the gods birds and the worship of spiritual birds. Comparing the bird worship of the Korean people with the bird worship of the ethnic groups in Northeast Asia, especially the Manchus, it can be found that the two not only have commonalities such as pan-bird worship, but also have many differences. ”
(Private Collection)
"Birds do not become totems in Korean national mythology as they do in Manchu mythology. As a long-standing cultural phenomenon, the bird worship of the Korean nation has accumulated the cultural connotations at the bottom of the national spirit, forming a collective unconscious and profoundly affecting the traditional culture of the Korean nation. ”