인천지역 임경업 장군 설화 연구

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to understand the meaning of the folktales about General Im Gyeong-eop by identifying the patterns of transmission, comparing Im Gyeong-eop Jeon and Jeolldo-ui Imjanggunsa, extracting key elements through analyzing each paragraph and classifying folktales by types. It is found that there are 159 folktales about General Im Gyeong-eop across the country, 46 of which were recorded on several islands of Ganhwa-gun and Ongjin-gun. The tales have been transmitted around male speakers in coastal areas since 1928. Jeolldo-ui Imjanggunsa, which was published in a newspaper Donga-Ilbo in 1928, is valuable data which has not been reported to the academic world as well as the oldest one among the folktales in existence. By comparing the tale with a novel Im Gyeong-eop Jeon, i t turned out that it was based on the novel and recreated using regional characteristics of Yeonpyeong-do rather than created by folktale transmission groups. In the study, the narrative is divided into 6 parts in the light of features of tales - 1) Byeong-ja Horan and an expedition to Pi-seom, 2) Exile to Ming and Yeonpyeong-do, 3) Transfer from Yeonpyeong-do, 4) Negotiations with the king of Ho Dynasty, 5) Death of General Im Gyeong-eop, 6) A postscript. Among these, 2), 3), 6) are the essential parts. Narrators just need to remember the following story - “When leaving for China, General Im Gyeong-eop stopped by Yeonpyeong-do (or other islands of Incheon) to get drinking water and taught the method of catching croakers to the residents. Chungmin-sa temple was built to honor him.” If so, there would be no trouble passing down the folktales in Incheon region. Moreover, the researchers examined the content of the tales and categorized them into 5 types– 1) General Im Gyeong-eop and catching croakers, 2) Construction of Chungmin-sa temple and Dong-ti(retribution from the earth gods), 3) Appearance of General Im in dreams and a big catch of fish, 4) General Im and the origin of the name of places, 5) General Im and traps. From the word Yeonpyeong-do, people usually recall the images of catching croakers, General Im, and then the God of Fishery in order. Surprisingly, however, a number of narrators separate catching fish from the divinity of him. To figure out the meaning of the folktales of General Im Gyeong-eop, it is required to approach from multiple perspectives, not just a religious perspective.