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The (), also known as the () are stone cairns or trees that are considered holy and are dedicated to the deity Seonangshin, the patron of villages. The are common in mountainous settlements of the
Korean Peninsula Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...
.


History

The origins of the are unclear; archaeologists and historians have two theories. The first theory is that originated in Korea. According to these historians, the originated as border marks between various villages. As the concept of religion developed, these borders became worshipped as the homes of the border deities, equivalent to the
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
deity of Terminus. These historians equate with the Sodo, a holy area in the Proto–Three Kingdoms of Korea. Other historians claim that developed as altars to Sanwang, the deities of mountains. The other theory is that are the Korean variety of
Ovoo Ovoo, oboo, or obo (, , , , Traditional Mongol: , "heap"; Chinese: 敖包 ''áobāo'', lit. "magnificent bundle .e. shrine) are cairns used as border markers or shrines in Mongolian folk religious practice and in the religion of other Mongol ...
, or Mongolian stone towers. The Mongolian worship of
Ovoo Ovoo, oboo, or obo (, , , , Traditional Mongol: , "heap"; Chinese: 敖包 ''áobāo'', lit. "magnificent bundle .e. shrine) are cairns used as border markers or shrines in Mongolian folk religious practice and in the religion of other Mongol ...
are strikingly similar to the Korean worship of in that it is of stone, and is believed to grant the wishes of travelers. According to this theory, the cult followed the
Mongol invasions of Korea A series of campaigns were conducted between 1231 and 1270 by the Mongol Empire against the Korean kingdom of Goryeo. The last campaign concluded with a peace treaty with Goryeo becoming Korea under Yuan rule, a vassal state of the Yuan dynast ...
, in the thirteenth century. However, there are records of before that. The first record of a is in the ''
Goryeosa ''Goryeosa'' (), or ''History of Goryeo'', is an extensive historical record of the Goryeo dynasty, compiled by the officials of Goryeo's successor state, Joseon. Its compilation started during the reign of Taejo of Joseon, Taejo (the founding ...
'', a history book written about the
Goryeo Dynasty Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...
in the 15th century. According to the book, in the reign of King Munjong of Goryeo, a 'Seonghwangsa', meaning 'Temple of Seonghwang', was constructed. In the Goryeo Dynasty, the best-known was in the town of
Jeonju Jeonju (, , ) is the capital and List of cities in South Korea, largest city of North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is both urban and rural due to the closeness of Wanju County which almost entirely surrounds Jeonju (Wanju County has many resi ...
. King Gojong believed that the many defeats of the
Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...
in the
Mongol invasions of Korea A series of campaigns were conducted between 1231 and 1270 by the Mongol Empire against the Korean kingdom of Goryeo. The last campaign concluded with a peace treaty with Goryeo becoming Korea under Yuan rule, a vassal state of the Yuan dynast ...
were because the Seonangshin aided the Koreans. As one of the best-known deities to the
Sangmin ''Sangmin'' (), short for ''p'yŏngsangjimin'' (), is a Korean-language term for commoners of the Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It ...
, or commoners, the Seonangshin were respected during the subsequent
Joseon Dynasty Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...
. The Joseon government split the Seonangshin into two categories; the official Gukhaeng Seonang, the patrons of the state, and the private Seonang, the village patrons. The Joseon Dynasty rulers officially held rites in . After usurping the Goryeo Dynasty with a coup, King Taejo of Joseon held ceremonies in the Seonangdang all throughout the
peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
. King Taejong of Joseon honored the of Baekak and Songak ( Gaeseong).


Appearance and location

were located on the
hills A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as mountains. Hills fall und ...
or ridges near the village. There are five varieties of ; # The most common form of is a stone tower located next to or around a large tree. The tree was called the Shinmok (Holy Tree), where a Gut (a shamanistic ritual) was held. # Another form of was just a stone tower with no tree. This is generally regarded to be a modified form of the with a Shinmok, where the tower developed before the tree. # The third form of had no stone tower, but just the Seonang Namu, a tree that served as the house of Seonangshin. The tree was decorated with white or five-colored (red, yellow, white, blue, green) strips of
silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
, each equivalent to the cardinal directions. The Seonang Namu is regarded to be the same as the Shinmok. # This variety was widespread in Gangwon Province. There was no stone tower, but an actual house that was considered to be the residence of Seonangshin. This house was called the Dangjib, or the 'temple house'. The Dangjibs were traditionally made of wood with a tiled roof; Seonghwang Jishinwi (Hanja: 城隍之神位), meaning 'Here be Seonang'. # The last, southern variety was a vertically upright natural stone, up to 2 meters high and 120 centimeters wide.


Worship

The official government of Korea held , or ceremonies, in both regularly and at times of
droughts A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D.  Jiang, A.  Khan, W.  Pokam Mba, D.  Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...
and wars. In villages, both
shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...
s and housewives prayed in , but most of those who prayed at were travelers and wanderers. On trails, travelers and wanderers placed three additional stones on the tower, and prayed for safety on the path, as it was believed that the deity would protect the travelers. Thus, on popular trails could be extremely large and tall.


See also

* Bangsatap * Jangseung


References

{{reflist Korean mythology Sacred rocks Trees in religion Muism