My Impression of Korea - Korea.net

CULTURE
The dog (gae)
A legendary fire-eating creature, haetae
dignified creature comparable to emperors
and kings. Like the rulers the
dragon was held accountable for protecting
people and the country as well
as controlling water. Hence the king’s
face was called “yong-an,” the throne
was “yong-sang,” the king’s virtuous
mind “yong-deok,” the king’s status
“yong-wi,” and his official garb
“yong-po.” In folk mythology the blue
dragon symbolized exorcist powers,
the yellow or white dragon represented
the royal authority, and the fish
dragon was believed to possess rainmaking
powers.
The rooster (dak) heralds dawn and
scatters darkness, so it often appeared
in paintings posted on middle gates.
The rooster was seen to have five
virtues. With its crest symbolizing a
high post in civil service and sharp
claws standing for military prowess, the
rooster was considered valiant enough
to never retreat from battle, compassionate
enough to crow when it finds
feed to share it with others, and credible
enough to depend on for keeping time.
Hence it was regarded as a virtuous
fowl: the rooster, more precisely the sutak,
would ensure a smooth climb up
the bureaucratic ladder; the hen, or amtak,
promised fertility.
The phoenix(bonghwang) was a
highly auspicious legendary creature
often compared to kings (bong) and
queens (hwang). One of the four
guardian spirits representing the four
cardinal directions, the phoenix was
believed to live only atop paulownia
trees, eating bamboo seeds and, once
stretching its wings, it could fly 90,000
li. Phoenix designs, symbolic of dignity
and auspiciousness, were used for
royal emblems, costumes and furniture.
The Korean presidential emblem
has a phoenix design.
The dog (gae) has long been a
smart and faithful friend of man. From
ancient times it was highly prized for
its geniality and loyalty to humans and
considered useful for hunting and
guiding as well as guarding homes.
Also, the dog was believed to be capable
of protecting humans from evil
spirits, disease, ghosts and wicked apparitions,
as well as warning and preventing
disasters. As white tigers and
white horses were regarded as sacred
creatures, white dogs were considered
indispensable for suppressing inauspicious
energies lurking around a home.
Yellow dogs were often raised at farm
houses as guardians of fertility and
rich crops. The smart and handsome
species native to Jin Island, Jindogae
stands for courage and loyalty, and the
Korean native poodle, called sapsalgae,
is believed to chase off evil spirits.
With its elegant horns stretched
toward the sky, the deer (saseum) was
regarded as a sacred creature capable
of discerning the holy intentions of
heaven. Consequently, it was believed
to prevent disease and invoke happiness
and wealth. The deer were also
envisaged as vehicles for immortals
and one of the ten longevity symbols.
In Chinese the two letters symbolizing
the deer and public officials’
salaries are both pronounced as lu
(nok in Korean) though they have
different shapes. Hence, bailu
(baengnok in Korean), literally “one
hundred deer,” came to mean “success
and happiness.”
The turtle (geobuk), with its round
domed upper shell and flat under
shell, symbolized the ancient Korean
notion of a round domed sky and a
flat Earth. Thus it was regarded as a
sacred creature connecting heaven
and man and an emblem of longevity,
felicity, stability and strength. A
stone stele erected on a stone turtle
back embodied hopes that it would
last forever.
An imaginary unicorn named
girin stood for compassion and mercy.
Hence its emergence was seen as a
sign for the emergence of a sage king.
Ancient Koreans called a young man
with prominent ability and dignity a
girin-a, meaning a child prodigy.
A legendary fire-eating creature,
haetae, was believed to be a guardian
of justice that would strike anything
improper or unjust with its mighty
horn. Due to its fire-eating nature,
haetae symbolized water and paintings
of this creature were often put on
kitchen walls. In China a similar
imaginary animal was known as
xiezhi, or haechi in Korean. ■
(Photos by Suh Gong-im)
(Source: Cultural Heritage
Administration, Korean Heritage)
32 KOREA NOVEMBER 2008
NOVEMBER 2008 KOREA 33