Snake deity worship is not limited only to the pantries and gardens of Jeju Island homes. There are also village shrines dedicated to the worship of serpents—whose origins differ from that of the Chilseong gods. These deities play the role of shrine deities, like those found in all Jeju villages. In the case of these…
Month: February 2019
A Guide to Shamanism on Jeju Island, Post Eight: Snake Worship in and Around the House, Garden and Village
Now, let’s turn to how the Chilseong serpent deities are worshipped. The Chilseong deities are worshipped in a variety of larger ceremonies dedicated to the islands’ highest order of gods. These gods include the House Deities, such as the Door God and the Hearth Goddess that we have already discussed. You might find a table…
A Guide to Shamanism on Jeju Island, Post Seven: The Chilseong Serpent Myth
The Chilseong myth, one of Jeju Island’s twelve standard epic myths, explains the origin of the serpent deities that reside in the home. We will get into the Ilban Bonpuri, or standard epics, in more detail in later posts. These are the myths central to the island’s mythic canon, which shamans recite at length in…
A Guide to Shamanism on Jeju Island, Post Six: Snake Spirits Live in the Home
The house gods on Jeju Island are accompanied by a number of serpent deities who also reside in the home. These serpent deities, whose origins are theorized to come out of persisting traditions in Southeast Asia, mirror the house gods in some ways. The serpent deities are likewise typically located in specific areas around the…
A Guide to Shamanism on Jeju Island, Post Five: The House Gods Redux
The Gods of the Munjeon Epic Redux: Yeosan Buin—The Hearth Goddess, protects Jeju women in their daily lives, gives them strength to manage their work and their families, her epic serves to reinforce the independent spirit needed to overcome hardship and survive as an island woman Namseonbi—the compost shed god, the father of the Munjeon…
A Guide to Shamanism on Jeju Island, Post Four: The House Gods in Ritual Context
M The Munjeon Bonpuri is told as part of many shamanic ceremonies on Jeju. One important example is the ritual ceremony employed when blessing/ consecrating a new house, business or other structure on the island. This sort of ceremony, called seongjupuri, involves the extended family, and often, whoever wishes to stop by from the neighborhood….
A Guide to Shamanism on Jeju Island, Post Three: The Door God’s Epic
The Munjeon Epic—The Door God’s Myth (simplified plot) The following is the plot of Munjeon Bonpuri, the Door God’s epic, which relates to us the foundation myths of the household deities introduced in Post One. Keep in mind that the the following is the plot of the epic, not a direct translation of the epic itself. While some…
A Guide to Shamanism on Jeju Island, Post Two: Sacred Island
The house is sacred. The yard is sacred. The lanes are sacred. The village is sacred. The fields and wooded regions surrounding the village are sacred. The mountain is sacred. The sky and earth below are sacred. The sea is sacred. This world is sacred—populated with divine beings—gods and ancestor spirits. Halla Mountain, and the…
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