The Story of the Twelve Animals of the Korean Zodiac
The Twelve Animals of the Korean Zodiac
영상
Scenario
#1 Opening: Human beings are subject to all sorts of emotions and must experience the four distinct stages of life. Although it is said that man is the lord of all creation, it is rare that a human lives for a hundred years. In our brief lifespan, we all wish for a happy and healthy life…… Through these wooden statues which embody our ancestors’ simple and honest wish, we can encounter the twelve zodiac animals, each of which is imbued in our nature.
#2 Main Title: "The Twelve Animals of the Korean Zodiac"
#3 The rat and the birth myth of water and fire: The world was created and Maitreya was born. However, as he could not find any water or fire, he ate uncooked food. But after he acquired the wisdom needed to find water and fire from a rat, the world was truly vitalized. This myth, which appears in the song of creation in the Hamgyeong-do region, depicts a tiny creature, the rat, as a creator that finds water and fire, which are essentials elements for human life.
#4 Definition of the twelve animals of the zodiac: As elements of the natural world, mortal human beings exist alongside many animals, live their present life, and have high hopes for the future. In human civilization, having existed side by side with humans for a long time, animals have been used by humans as a food source, as a means of transportation, and for agricultural purposes. They have also been regarded as objects of faith, like a psychic medium, that connect this world with the next, and as symbols that determine humans’ destiny and character. Among these creatures are the twelve zodiac animals, which serve as important motifs that enable us to read our culture and our emotions.
#5 The twelve zodiac animals and destiny: A particular sign of the Chinese zodiac is assigned to each of us when we are born, like destiny. Although society changes rapidly, as does our lifestyle, our zodiac sign remains in our subconscious mind and subtly influences the formation of our inner world. We begin our life with one of the twelve zodiac signs.
Why do we think that a pig brings good luck or a dog symbolizes devotion, and why do we call a cow saenggu in Korean (implying that people treat cows like human beings)? The images that Korean people project on to animals represent national sentiments. Moreover, the twelve zodiac animals provide a basis for determining and understanding each individual’s destiny and our relationships with each other.
#6 History of human and animals: Animals have long been objects of faith or fear, as well as sources of food, for humans. They are also a basis for understanding the consciousness of ancient people, particularly when studying certain relics and ruins. The images of various animals in motion depicted in the Bronze Age Petroglyphs of Bangudae Terrace in Ulsan show animals living with humans as a part of everyday life. The "tou", or clay figurines of Silla’s representative animal symbols, which were buried in graves as an expression of faith, were regarded as being in some way imbued with the deceased person’s consciousness.
#7 Changes in the twelve Korean zodiac signs: How, then, were these Korean zodiac signs created? Although the Chinese zodiac is thought to have originated from the Yin Dynasty of China (c. 1600 BC – c. 1046 BC), it was generally accepted that it was during the mid-Han Dynasty that the Chinese zodiac was first applied to orientation and time. The twelve zodiac signs of Korea are more closely associated with the deity of time and the deity of orientation. These signs were formed by combining the Four Symbols, i.e. the four mythological creatures of the Northern people, with the twelve animal deities of the Silla Dynasty. The twelve zodiac animals were placed in a circle according to the time and direction, and were regarded as guardians that warded off evil coming from the direction in which each animal was located. During the Goryeo Dynasty, the zodiac animals were placed as stone guardian statues around tombs, following the Silla tradition, although there were changes in the way of expression.
The tradition of placing stone statues of zodiac animals around or inside tombs disappeared at some point during the Joseon Dynasty. Until the Goryeo period, statues symbolizing time and direction were placed to the north, south, east and west of a royal tomb and served as its guardians. Then, during the Joseon period, only statues of the horse, sheep, and tiger were erected at royal tombs, with stone statues of horses placed behind the stone statues of a civil official and a military official, and stone statues of a sheep and a tiger to the west and east of a tomb, respectively. The horse was regarded as a means of transport for civil and military officials, whereas the sheep and tiger were viewed as guardian animals. Let’s take a look at the meaning of the twelve zodiac animals by first introducing the concept of time and direction!
#8 Symbol of the twelve Korean zodiac animals: The Rat is the first animal in the Chinese zodiac. It symbolizes fecundity and wealth owing to its remarkable rate of reproduction and its industriousness. The Ox or Cow, is loved by people for its honest and naive nature. The Tiger is regarded as the king of the mountain and is worshiped as a mountain deity. It often appears in drawings of mountain deities and on folk charms. The Rabbit, with its cute image, is a symbol of wisdom in Korean folktales such as Sugunga (Song of the Water Palace), Byeoljubu jeon (Rabbit’s Tale) and Ttokkijeon (Tale of the Hare). The Dragon, which is the only imaginary creature among the twelve zodiac animals, is regarded as a guardian that protects and promotes Buddhism, and is also a symbol of national defense. The Snake, which changes its skin, represents rebirth, immortality, and eternal life, and is associated with the creation of life and the power of healing. The Horse is a symbol of power and ability, and is referred to as a leader or head. The Goat or Sheep, a symbol of peace, is regarded as an appreciative creature as sheep suck milk on their knees. The Monkey is regarded as the most intelligent and talented of animals. Notably, the character Sun Wukong, a monkey, was depicted as a creature endowed with the power of exorcism in the Chinese novel Journey to the West (c. 16th century). The Rooster causes ghosts that are wandering at night to disappear from the earth at once with its crowing, which tells the coming of dawn. The Dog, which has lived together with human being for a long time, symbolizes a faithful servant of people. Finally, the Pig represents an offering to be sacrificed in a ritual or ceremony, and symbolizes good fortune as an creature of good omen.
#9 The twelve zodiac signs in the world: The twelve zodiac signs represented the sentiments of the Korean people and were closely associated with everyday affairs. The concept of the twelve zodiac signs is widespread throughout East and West alike. The idea of the twelve zodiac signs is generally thought to have originated in China and to be unique to the Orient, but in reality it is widely accepted among scholars that it was introduced from the Middle East sometime in the remote past. It can be said that the twelve zodiac signs embody oriental wisdom, and were invented as a means of classifying days, months, and years. The twelve zodiac signs, which are prevalent in Egypt, Greece, Central Asia, India, China, Korea, and Japan among other countries, have different names and/or expressions in each nation but their universal meanings remain the same. The major examples are the zodiac that originated in ancient Mesopotamia; the Babylonian animal symbols, which include certain constellations, beetle, lion, ram, and sparrow hawk; and the Egyptian zodiac, which includes the crocodile and flamingo. The zodiac signs reflect the characteristics, behaviors, and consciousness of each nation, exhibit distinct characteristics, and also represent certain polyphyletic cultural aspects.
#10 The crossing of life and death: The twelve zodiac animals are with us at the wonderful moment of birth as well as at the solemn moment of death. When we are alive, the zodiac signs help us to read our fortune or our destiny, and also the fortune of the year and our nation’s fortunes. Sometimes, through a sacrificial ceremony or charm, they can enrich our life. As such, the zodiac signs represent the flow of thought inherent to each one of us, and are deeply rooted in our lives.
#11 End: Animals and humans have to live together. Animals serve as objects that reflect human beings’ conscious world, and their images are inherent in our mind. As a psychic medium, they connect the earth with the sky or heaven, symbolize all kinds of human emotions, and represent a world view of time. Today, animals are still with us and bring us new hopes and dreams.
They also convey the warmth of the Korean people and remind us of the harmonious life of man and nature.
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.
During the Goryeo Dynasty, the Four Symbols and the Chinese zodiac were used in more ways than in the Silla period, appearing as stone statues, in tomb murals, and on stone coffins. During the Joseon Dynasty, many animals began to feature in the folk paintings that were traditionally made for seasonal customs and similar events in everyday life; and they were also used to adorn doors, closets, folding screens, and the walls of houses; or were drawn as charms against evil spirits or malign influences. The subjects of folk paintings were mainly birds, land animals and fish. In particular, paintings of the Ten Symbols of Longevity, which embody prayers and wishes for longevity, included many animals such as the turtle, deer, and crane.
As such, we can see a diversity of animal images on many rock paintings, Goguryeo murals, the Great Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje, Silla figurines, the twelve zodiac animal deities of Unified Silla, Joseon folk paintings of the Ten Symbols of Longevity, and so on.
