중국 고전소설 속에 묘사된 저승사자 명칭과 형상에 관한 고찰— 《太平廣記⋅鬼部》를 중심으로

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the change of the recognition of psychopomp with focus on terms and images recorded in Taipingguangji Guibu(太平廣記⋅鬼部). There was no specific terms for psychopomp at first and psychopomp was described to a person who was wearing yellow clothes or depicted as ghost, government official, envoy etc. A psychopomp was gradually recognized as a messenger of the underworld, who was carried out by Orcus. Term definition was also progressed to the way directly to expose the meaning of psychopomp who was came from the underworld. The name as Gouhunshizi(勾魂使者) was born with distinguished an ordinary messenger or a management of Orcus in the Age of the Qing Dynasty. It has been used widely in modern mandarin chinese till now. A psychopomp is a guide, whose primary function is to escort souls to the afterlife, but they can also determine lifespan of people who is born. A psychopomp was a pretty official in Orcus organization. Therefore one of the most simple kinds of psychopomp story was to say the experience of meeting psychopomp who did basic operations. But the story was more complicated by new and modified contents that psychopomp played all over the world of this world and the next. In this process, worldly wishes and desires in reality world projected into the story of psychopomp. A　psychopomp, who was receiving entertainment by unpleasant person to leave this world, extended his life or made him pass the test. and humanized and secularized psychopomp was projected from human behaviors as overworking, starving, whipping, getting well fare and hell money, asking for a bribe.