“해태”고 = A Study on the “Haetae”

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The mythical beast haetae will be designated as the symbol of Seoul, the capital of Korea, from 2008, if an objection is not raised. This paper first explores what this omniscient beast is and then examines how much its current image familiar to us reflects the beast described in ancient texts. The auspicious beast is transcribed in various combination of Chinese characters; `hae ?,`, `haechi ?치,`, `haechi ??,`, `haechi 解치,`, `haechi 解?,`, `haechi 해치,`, `haechi 해치,`, `haechi 解치,`, `haechi 해치.` All the characters are homophones(同音假借). Among them `haechi ?치’ is most frequently used, and it can be pronounced haetae and haechae. The character 치 has three pronunciation of `tae,`, `chae,` and `chi.` So does the character ?. The locus classicus of the beast is found in Fu on the Imperial Park (Shanglin fu 上林賦) written by Sima Xiangru 司馬相如 in Western Han 西漢 times. Confucians at the end of the Western Han are considered to have made and disseminated the legend that the beast has the faculty to distinguish right and wrong. Since Wang Chung 王充 recorded and criticized it in his Lun heng 論衡, the story had become widely known, and more stories of its figure and functions had been developed in sophistication. This phenomenon seems to reflect on the regret for collapsed law and order in turbulent times and the wish for its proper restoration. In addition, such mythologization of the beast by Confucians is considered to be influenced by the episode of Duke Zhuang 莊公 of Qi 齊 retained in the Mozi 墨子, Ming gui. 明鬼 The beast Haetae is marked with one horn (il gak 一角). One horn has always been mentioned, when describing the physical features of the beast, in numerous ancient texts, ever since in the Lun heng. The beast plays a role in punishing those who commits crimes with its horn, the symbol of the beast. Across time and place the statues of Haetae in China feature a unicorn. Its body shape can vary, due to different theories, but there is no haetae without a horn. Strange enough, however, the beast statue in Korea does not have a unicorn. The beast is also recorded in many texts throughout the entire premodern history of Korea, and it does not differ from Chinese records. What draws attention in particular is a passage, Haetae is a fiery beast ?? 火獸也 in the Sheng ya 乘雅, a lost text cited in the Oju yeonmun jangjeon sango 五洲衍文長箋散稿 written by Li Gyukyong 李圭景. This content would have contributed to the secular belief that the beast statue was built in front of the Kyongbok palace in order to fight a fire in the capital. Equally interesting is that the beast resembles the kylin, another fabulous beast in imagination; this is similar to Haetae is one kind of kylin, 麒麟中之?치也 a comment of Wu Cheng 吳澄, a figure of the Yuan dynasty. There are many haetae statues without a horn in Korea. Since a unicorn symbolizes the power to distinguish right and wrong; corrupt and correct, if not having one, then the beast cannot be called the haetae.

참고문헌 (Reference)

1 "한국고전번역원 (http://www.itkc.or.kr)"

2 鄭麟趾, "高麗史"

3 長孫無忌, "隋書"

4 段玉裁, "說文解字注"

5 許愼, "說文解字"

6 陸德明, "經典釋文"

7 于省吾, "甲骨文字林"

8 班固, "漢書"

9 谷衍奎, "漢字源流字典"

10 劉安, "淮南子"

11 楊伯峻, "春秋左傳注"

12 張惠言, "易圖條辨"

13 李賢, "明一統志"

14 歐陽修, "新唐書"

15 蕭統, "文選"

16 范燁, "後漢書"

17 陳彭年, "廣韻"

18 孫讓, "墨子間"

19 崔致遠, "『桂苑筆耕集』, 『孤雲集』"