Since prehistoric times, mankind has created faith-based art that reflect a primitive instinct to preserve life. One aspect of this elementary art of faith is rock painting. The art of faith resulted in the evolution of animal symbols with diverse meanings, expressing life, culture, thoughts, ideas, and religion. Moreover, since primitive times animals have been a source of fear as well as food for humans. Their innate strength has also been exploited for labor, leading humans to establish an inseparable relationship with certain species of animals in particular. Furthermore, on the Korean Peninsula, numerous kinds of animals appear in rock paintings, cave paintings, clay dolls, pottery, ancient tomb murals, and so on. Such images carry distinctive meanings and symbols, too. The Bronze Age Petroglyphs of Bangudae Terrace in Ulsan depict scenes of fishing and hunting, and various animals including deer, tigers, wild boars, cows, rabbits, weasels, lizards, whales, seals, sea turtles, and birds. These petroglyphs depict scenes of fishing and hunting, which were the most important productive activities of people at that time, as well as the animals that were the targets of such human activities.

Paintings of animals and birds appear as often in Goguryeo’s ancient tomb murals of the zodiacal constellations as they do in prehistoric rock paintings. Generally, they include the following Four Symbols: the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermillion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Turtle of the North. In addition, images of the mythical phoenix and auspicious animals like the giraffe and turtle can also be found in such paintings. As Goguryeo was located in the north of the peninsula, birds and land animals tend to appear more frequently in such paintings than water animals. Regarding birds, both real and imaginary creatures including the crane, pheasant, peacock, seagull, owl, chicken, and phoenix appear in works of art, while representations of land-based animals include mountain dwellers such as the tiger, deer, wild boar, rabbit, fox, and bear, and domestic animals such as the cow, horse, and dog. Silla’s main animal symbols are commonly found on clay figurines of animals, such as the dog, horse, cow, water buffalo, pig, sheep, deer, monkey, rabbit, tiger, turtle, dragon, chicken, fish, crab, snake, frog and so on. The twelve animal deities of the Korean zodiac are the products of the Korean people’s enduring faith and ideas, many of which have survived from the Unified Silla period to modern times. Although the twelve animal deities were influenced by China, they ultimately came to be associated with Buddhist sculptures, and became the Four Symbols protecting the nation in all directions, and thus were engraved on the tombs of Korean kings and nobles. The twelve animal deities, which are unique to Korea, have developed their own form and style. As regards the world-renowned Great Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje, thirty-nine animals, including mythical animals such as the dragon and the phoenix, as well as real animals such as the tiger, deer, elephant and monkey, are all depicted on its surface. In addition, two Taoist hermits and twenty-six water-based animals adorn the spaces between the lotus patterns on the burner. This great gilt-bronze incense burner is especially characterized by extraordinary images of a bear, which is closely associated with Baekje; a monkey and an elephant, which are southern animals; an equestrian figure, the first to appear in any Baekje artwork; and the deer, which is a symbol of eternity and rebirth, as well as a psychic medium.