동아시아 아기장수 설화의 전승과 그 사회 교육적 의미 - 한국·일본·베트남 설화를 중심으로 -

Abstract

By examining Korean tales of infant heroes together with similar tales from Japan and Vietnam, this study seeks to discover what the image and understanding of infant heroes in East Asian culture was and what power transmitted these tales of infant heroes over such a long period of time in each of these countries. It is these two questions that provide the focus for this study. In Japan, the tales of Momotaro and Issunboshi can be compared to Korean tales of infant heroes. And in the case of Vietnam, we can find the example of the infant hero, Jiong. What all the tales from these three different countries have in common is that all the infant heroes, while being of humble birth, possess exceptional innate gifts. The appearance tales about infant heroes was closely connected with the demands of the time when they first emerged. The people responsible for the transmission of these tales believed that it was not until the new generation represented by an infant arrived that the chaotic nature of life's reality could be overcome. The motive force which enabled the tales of infant heroes to be transmitted from generation to generation in these three East Asian countries was the power of the children who made up an important part of the audience when the tales were being narrated. The transmission of a story which has an infant child as its hero has a pedagogic significance as a social initiation rite for children who are destined to play the leading role in society in the future.