상주 물량리암각화로 본 선사 및 고대 한국의 눈 관념

Abstract

The theme of Sangju Mulryang-ri Petroglyphs, found in the rock surface by the Nakdong River, is “human eyes.” The oldest example of religious idea of the eye is the eye idols found in the Eye Temple of Tell Brak, Syria, dating back to the late Neolithic Period. Such the religious idea of the eye as found in the Eye Temple likely influenced how the Mesopotamians since the Bronze Age depicted their ancient gods and heroes with prominent eyes. In the ancient Egypt, the eye became the special object of worship, establishing a unique symbol of the Eye of Horus. That the Egyptians took special care in depicting the eye on the figures in art likely stemmed from such ideas as well. The Indian mythology mentions the third eye or the inner eye while the Greek mythology present Argos, the giant with 100 eyes. These stories probably owe their origins to religious idea of the eye as well. While the Chinese mythology and legends were historicized early on, the tao tie wen (饕餮紋) of Xiang and Zhou dynasties and san xing dui (三星堆) of Sichuan depict very prominent eyes. The traces of religious idea of the eye can also be found in the book Shan Hai Jing(山海經), an altered narrative. The curious beings with eight or nine human heads mentioned in this book suggest that religious idea of the eye existed in the certain regions of China. The multiple strange tales of mirrors with special powers can also be considered an interaction of religious idea of the eye. The Korean mythology and legends do not include much about religious idea of the eye. But few stories regarding the “truth-seeing eye” such as the story of an fortune teller Chunam(楸南) remain. The eleven-headed bodhisattva or thousand hands thousand eyes bodhisattva from the Esoteric Buddhism during the late Unified Silla Period or Koryeo Dynasty Period may have introduced the elements of religious idea of the eye to the folk religious tradition. Considering that the multiple artifacts from the Neolithic Korea emphasize the eye, the Sangju Mulryang-ri Petroglyphs hold a special place in the Korean religion in that it is the product of the prehistoric and ancient religious idea of the eye in Korea.