韓·中·日 고전문학 속에 보이는 여성과 뱀

Abstract

For all ages and countries, snakes have been closely associated and from time immemorial with humans they are stamped as dreadful one, but sometimes carved as affluent image, guaranteing fecundity in our minds. This duplicated image has been described in ancient myths and folklores, in which snakes are subject that take human life with fatal toxin as fear and disgust itself as well as incarnation of fecundity and domestic happiness. Myths and folklores being formulated into written literature, understanding of the various images of snakes are also projected intactly in ancient literature. Especially in ancient literature of East Asia including China, Japan and Korea, the multiple and complicated images have been reproduced in the male-dominated culture based on Confucianism and Buddhism, intertwined with the mutation between women and snakes. Analysis of the interrelations and meanings of the snake and women shows the positive image which produce the fecundity and fertility and sacrifice for human at first. But on the other hand, negative image of the snakes are strongly demonstrated in many literature influenced by the male-dominated culture based on Confucianism and Buddhism, where the snake's evil image dominated and the stories came to the tragic ending. Particularly in Buddhism the women's images have been understood as disrupter having men's attaining Buddhahood frustrated and they have been connected with negative one of the snakes, written in the literature fully. Despite of common ideas shown in East-Asia ancient literature, some differences to see the relation of women and snakes can be found in the literatures because these three countries have unique historical and cultural background on the different perspectives.