두 개의 태양, 한 송이의 꽃 ― 월명사 일월조정서사의 의미망

Abstract

In the 19th year (A.D. 760) of King Gyeongdeok(景德王)’s reign, an extraordinary calamityhappened-two suns appeared in the sky side by side. On the advice of the courtier incharge of choosing an auspicious day, King Gyeongdeok requested Monk Wolmyeong(月明師) to hold a Buddhist ritual called Sanhwagongdeok(散花功德, a ceremony to praise theBuddha by scattering the flowers) and the monk solves the problem by singing <Dosolga(兜率歌)> that he composed. This mythical incident involves the question of difference andtransition such as non-national society vs. national society, shamanism vs. Buddhism, shamanmusic vs. Hyangga(ancient Korean poems), and bow vs. flower. In the non-nationalsociety, two or multiple suns were regarded as a natural disaster. God or heroes leave onlya single sun, thereby the conflict is resolved. Especially, in case of Asian sun-shootingmyths(射日神話), there are heroes who shoot the suns down : Amanojaku in Japan, ErkhiiMergen in Mongolia, Sunmoon and Humoon brothers(or King Daebyul(big star) and Sobyul(little star) brothers) in Korea. However, in the national society, multiple suns symbolizethe transition of state power beyond natural disasters. In the myth of Chinese hero‘Ye(裔)’, nine out of ten suns that Ye shot represent Yin(殷) Dynasty and the one remainingsun represents Zhou(周) Dynasty. The two suns that appeared in King Gyeongdeok’s timehave similar symbols. Two suns respectively stand for kingly power and opposition forcesagainst the king. Yet, in the mythology of sun and moon(日月調整神話) in the reign of KingGyeongdeok, the solution is not a bow, but the Buddhist rite Sanhwagongdeok and ahymn. Besides, the subject who brings the situation to a settlement is not a master of archery-hero, but Kouksundo(國仙徒) (Hwarangdo[花郞徒]). This reflects that the ritual agentsolving a social problem is shifted from shamanism into Buddhism. In other words, the wayof settling a conflict is a religious ceremony by scattering the flowers and singing in linewith the Buddhist rite, not a threatening shamanism by shooting an arrow and singing.