북한산의 여산신연구

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to clarify that the female Sanshin(mountain-spirits) of the Bukhan-san (North of the Han {River} mountaincluster) originated from an ancient Korean deity named Mago Samshin (麻姑三神, Hemp-Matriarch Triple-Spirit) based on the Korean Sundo Heavenly Ritual Culture tradition of female mountain spirits. This will be shown through the examples of female mountain spirits related to the Bukhan-san mountains. Koreans have a very old tradition of mountain worship and mountain spirit worship, which originated from the Heavenly Ritual culture that have been handed down from the Baedal Country / Dan-gun Joseon. These Korean Sundo Heavenly Ritual Ceremonies anthropomorphized the essence of existence and life-energy of the universe as Mago Samshin which is its supreme deity or “God.” As time passed-on, it declined and degenerated into mere folklore and shamanic-worship, and changed into worship ofheavenly gods and mountain-spirits. We can find its trace in the similar traditions of Mt. Baekdu-san, Mt. Mani-san and Mt. Taebaek-san, which are the representative Heavenly Ritual mountains in all of Korea. The supreme deity of this Heavenly Ritual, Mago Samshin, is seated and worshiped by the officiants and attendees during Heavenly Ritual and/orMountain-spirit ceremonies as a female mountain-spirit called Seongmo (Saint Mother) or Halmi Sanshin (Mountain-spirit Grandmother). Apart from the above mentioned three mountains, we can find a Heavenly Ritual tradition of female mountain-spirits in the Bukhan-san mountains. At the beginning of the Joseon Dynasty Mt. Baegak-san (White Crags Mountain; a.k.a. Buk-ak-san), directly north of the primary palace Gyeongbok-gung in the new capital city Hanyang, was awarded the titleof Jingukbaek (True Kingdom White, a highly honorific appellation) and the Heavenly Ritual Ceremony of the Baegak-sa (White Crags Temple; a.k.a. Baek-ak Shrine) had been seriously taken. However, very soon after that, as the Confucian ceremonies were rearranged, Sundo Heavenly Rituals changed into Neo-Confucian ceremonies dedicated to the Earth instead of Heaven. Gradually, the Heavenly Ritual ceremonies of the Baegak-sa Temple changed into rainmaking ceremonies. Oppressed by the national elites including royal families, the Sundo Heavenly Ritual declined and degenerated into mere folklore and shamanic worship over many centuries. In the Bukhan-san mountain-cluster, instead of the Jingukbaek deity enshrined in Baegak-sa there has remained a female mountain-spirit, called “Dame Jeongnyeo” these days. In Goyang City of Gyeonggi-do Province and also Bulgwang-dong of Eunpyeong-gu Districtin Seoul, there is a myth handed down about Bap-Halmoni (Cooked-rice Grandmother) in related with the Nojeok-bong Peak of Mt. Samgak-san, or in another term, Bark-Halmoni (밝=bright/shining Grandmother) as a female mountain-spirit. In addition to this, there is a female mountain spirit at the Bohyeon-gak (Bodhisattva of Benevolent Action Shrine) of Bohyeonbong Peak, another female mountain spirit seated in the Gwaneum-gul(Bodhisattva of Compassion Cave) of Shimgok-am Hermitage under the Hyeongje-bong (Brothers Peak), and another female mountain-spirit seated in the Seongmo (Saint Mother) shrine at Gubok-am Hermitage. In this way, here and there within the Bukhan-san mountain-cluster, female mountainspirit traditions continued to be handed-down even at present. As we have seen, as the female mountain-spirits of Korean Heavenly Ritual mountains are originated from the Mago Samshin deity, and we have determined that the female mountain spirits of the Bukhan-san mountaincluster are also originated from the Mago Samshin Heavenly Ritual Goddess since ancient times. Because these remaining traditions inform us that Mago Samshin, the primary deity of the ancient Sundo Heavenly Ritual culture had declined into mere folklore and shamanic worship, we can assume that the female mountain spirits of the Bukhan-san mountain-cluster also originated from Mago Samshin.