Eschatology and Folk Religions in Korean Society

Abstract

Eschatology is best represented in practices of various folk 'religions' as well as mortuary rituals in Korean society. This chapter analyses three of the most important Korean folk 'religions', namely shamanism, ancestor worship and geomancy, in relation to the Koreans' tripartite view of the human soul. It examines whether modern Koreans also share the tripartite view of the human soul after death. The chapter examines the eschatology reflected in musok , based on comparisons with mortuary kut from various regions. It discusses how the concept could be linked to other seemingly unrelated folk practices, such as ancestor worship and geomancy. In the Kangwn-do kut, one can see clear manifestations of the concept of three souls, which are symbolized by three white paper cut-out men, representing respectively heaven, man and earth. The three paper cut-out men are given to the father of the dead man, the son and the wife. Keywords: eschatology; folk religions; human soul; Kangwn-do kut; Korean society; mortuary rituals; shamanism