도깨비신앙의 양가성과 의례의 상대성 고찰

Abstract

This study is focused on the ambivalence and relativity of Tokkaebi (Korean traditional goblin) shown in the folk belief of Korea. In popular belief, Tokkaebi is considered both a bad ghost to be expelled as well as being respected as the subject of richness. Following this paradigm, Tokkaebi can appear as the god of smallpox or of fire, as well as a bountiful catch of fish. For clear differences that the Tokkaebi belief has, various cases are investigated. Existing studies have mainly put emphasis on diversity or regional differences in the popular belief, but this study is built on the two simplified ideas of ‘serving’ and ‘rejecting’ for various rituals. To further examine the issues of ambivalence and relativity of the Tokkaebi belief, ‘fire’, which is generally symbolized for Tokkaebi, is researched alongside with ‘heat’ and ‘light’, two main attributes of fire. being In the context of this, Tokkaebi comes out as ‘heat’ when people recognize Tokkaebi as ‘something to repel’ while the appearance of ‘light’ is considered the ‘object to be served’. The ambivalent attributes of Tokkaebi are studied, based on the notion that the ambivalence is a contact between the sacred and the profane. Tokkaebi is essentially a sacred one and thus needs a ritual for being combined with the profane. In that regard, when it unexpectedly possesses a man or spreads diseases among people, people have a tendency of thinking that the subject possessed by Tokkaebi becomes ill. As a result, a specific ritual to recover a normal situation is required. When Tokkaebi appears as the god which helps fishermen get a big catch of fish, rituals play the role of inviting Tokkaebi. But this Tokkaebi religion is different whether rituals related to the sea are done in the coastal areas or not. In that sense, it is judged that regional differences shown in the ambivalence of the Tokkaebi religion may be a choice of a sort of eco-environmentalism. It seems that mountainous territory tends to emphasize the danger of fire whereas the usefulness of fire is stressed for the rituals of fishing in the coastal areas.