(1) The first aim of this study is to bring light on the relationship between the folklore as a political heritage and military science, with special references to the Tutelary Deity Stones (So-Nang) as a military function. This thesis is based on the...
(1) The first aim of this study is to bring light on the relationship between the folklore as a political heritage and military science, with special references to the Tutelary Deity Stones (So-Nang) as a military function. This thesis is based on the hypothesis that the Tutelary Deity Stones is not a shamanist heritage but a heritage of stone struggle in ancient tribal states. In order to prove the above hypothesis, the writer surveyed the 16 Tutelary Deity Stones located in the whole peninsula and researched the documents pertaining to them.
(2) In ancient tribal states, the stones were the first weapons to protect their villages. Such documents are found in the Silla-Japanese War in 5th Century. The records of stone struggle are found up to the Korean·Japanese War(1592∼1598) , As such an example, the writer could find the remains of stone war at the Haeng-Joo Castle(Photo. 1). The stone war seemed to continue until the magazine was invented and became useful.
(3) The origin of So-Nang has been derived from the "Castle" and "Moat" which have originally defensive meaning. The hypothesis that the Tutelary Deity Stones was not a shamanist heritage but a heritage of stone war is 7ased on the following three facts:
First, it is located at the "neck" of villages, suitable to protect them from outer invaders.
Secondly, stones, which were stored in the Tutelary Deity were, in size, congruous to throw to enemies.
Thirdly, it is located at the open place, which means that it is unfitting for shamanism. If it were ruins of shamanism, it must be located at the high or deep mountain.
(4) In order to prove the above hypothesis, in chapter 4 the writer presents 7 cases of Tutelary Deity Stones with maps, on which they are located.
(5) The Tutelary Deity Stones have transformed their shapes as following three styles: First, it transformed to sacred place(asylum), so as to say, shamanism. It is relative with war-ceremony for victory over the invaders. As a worship, the villagers used to bow, to sacrifice the cake, to spit, to hang the colored clothes and the dress of the sick people, to stretch a straw-wipe, to step with one font, to throw three stones, to present some coins and straw-shoes, to scatter the yellow soils, and to hang the puppet.
Secondly, the stone war transformed to a stone struggle between neighbouring villages as a folklore in the first month of lunar calender, which continued up to the late 19th Century.
Thirdly, the Tutelary Deity Stones transformed to a boundary-mark, especially for Buddhist temples.
(6) In spite of the above significances, the Tutelary Deity Stones have been ruined on account of the following reasons:
First, the Confucianism has despised them as a shamanism.
Secondly, the Christianism has despised them as a idol-worship.
Thirdly, under the Japanese rule, they oppressed such village folklore as Tutelary Deity Stones ceremony to destroy the community consciousness.
Fourthly, the recent modernization movement as Saemaul Movement has destroyed such traditional heritages as Tutelary Deity Stones.
Conclusively speaking, the Tutelary Deity Stones is a remaining heritage of ancient stone war. The modern civilizations or cultures are not remote from the ancient ones.
The ancient cultures are breathing within the modernity, and the modernity can survive within the context of ancient culture.