The Story of the Twelve Animals of the Korean Zodiac
Rooster
영상
Scenario
# 1 Main title: Rooster
# 2 Opening: The Rooster is the tenth animal of the twelve zodiac animals. The Rooster guards the hours from 5 o'clock to 7 o'clock in the afternoon and the direction due west. Rooster Month corresponds to the eighth month of the lunar calendar. To Koreans, the Rooster embodies five virtues: politeness (文) because of its comb; military bravery (武) because of its spurs; courage (勇) because it is a fearless fighter; benevolence (仁) because it shares its grains, and reliability (信) because it crows at the break of dawn with unchanging regularity.
# 3 The signals of sunrise: A rooster crowing is the start of a day, the beginning of light. Koreans believed that, when the rooster pecks three times, shakes off its tail, and crows announcing daybreak, beasts and evil spirits would hide away.
# 4 The origin of chickens in Korea: The natural habitation of chickens in Korea was recorded by the Three Kingdoms period. According to old literature, India once called Goguryeo "Kukutesvara (鷄貴國)," or "Country that worships the chicken." Likewise, the founding myths of Bak Hyeokgeose and Gim Al-ji recorded in "Samgukyusa (三國遺事, the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms)" suggest that the chicken had long been symbolic in the Korean Peninsula.
# 5 The myth of Gim Al-ji, the progenitor of Kim clans in Korea: "It occurred during the reign of Silla's fourth ruler, King Talhae of the Silla kingdom. From the western forest of the capital, which is present-day Gyeongju, the sound of a rooster crowing was heard. The king ordered the examination of the site. Light shone on the forest, and purple clouds stretched from the sky to the earth. Where the clouds reached hung a golden chest, and under the tree a white rooster crowed. Upon hearing this, the king went to the forest and opened the chest inside where a boy lay crouched. Believing the boy was his son from heaven, the king took him to the palace. The king named the child Al-ji (閼智) after his wisdom and gave him the last name Gim (金), or Kim, meaning "gold," because he came from a golden chest."
# 6 Paintings of the Rooster as evil deflector: The symbolic meaning of the Rooster can be found. In homes welcoming a new year, families hung a painting of the Rooster to drive away evil spirits because the Rooster was believed to have the power to banish and exorcise evil. There are many paintings that depict newly born chicks being cared for by a hen. The image represents people's wish for blessing with offspring.
# 7 Paintings of the Rooster to symbolize a successful career: In the Joseon dynasty, men who aspired to become government officials kept a painting of the rooster in the study because the rooster’s comb symbolized the headdress of an official. The rooster was sometimes accompanied by a cockscomb, which also symbolized the headdress of an official. The combination of the two symbols represented supreme success. Paintings of the Rooster were believed to have the power exorcise evil spirits and bring wealth and fame and blessing with offspring.
# 8 Chicken as food: Dozens of egg shells and chicken bones discovered in Cheonmachong Tomb were believed to have been intended for regeneration or living funerary objects. To this day, chicken and eggs are popular food enjoyed by all people in Korea regardless of gender and age. There was a time in Korea when eggs were precious gifts to important guests. "Samgyetang," or ginseng chicken soup, has long been enjoyed in summertime to beat the heat. Drinking is not complete without "Dakgalbi" or spicy stir-fried chicken. According to an interview, "High in protein but low in fat and calories, chicken is a low-cholesterol food that has good texture and savory taste. It is the best choice as diet food for young people."
# 9 Cockfighting: Before Korea was liberated from Japan, cockfighting was a national pastime in Korea. Today, it is still legal and is being organized in part of South Gyeongsang Province. The main species of the rooster in the fights are the Shamo, a native of India, the Hando of Japan, and a cross-bred species called the "Uduri" of domestic origin.
# 10 A rooster on the wedding ceremony altar: The chicken could be found in Korean wedding ceremonies. As part of the ceremonial procedure, a rooster wrapped in blue and red silk is placed on the altar. At the Pyebaek Ceremony during which a bride and a groom bow to each other, a rooster is placed between them.
# 11 Ending: Chickens have long been familiar to mankind. When there was no clock, the bird heralded daybreak. It was an important symbol that drove away evil. The chicken was always part of seasonal customs or everyday life. It is only natural that the Rooster is one of the twelve zodiac animals.
The Rooster (酉) is the tenth animal of the twelve zodiac animals. The Year of the Rooster repeats in the cycle of "Water Rooster (癸酉)," "Wood Rooster (乙酉)," "Fire Rooster (丁酉)," "Earth Rooster (己酉)," and "Metal Rooster (辛酉)." Rooster Month corresponds to August of the lunar calendar. The Rooster guards the hours from 5 o'clock to 7 o'clock in the afternoon and the direction due west.
The Rooster that heralds daybreak in darkness has long been regarded as an auspicious bird with mythical power. Metaphorically, the long crow of the Rooster at the break of dawn was a prelude symbolizing the start of a new generation. Traditional religions that had believed in the supernatural power of the Rooster were based on the bird's role in nature. Upon hearing the crowing sound of the Rooster, goblins and spirits that had roamed in darkness would vanish. The popular belief was that the Rooster embodies five virtues: politeness (文) because of its comb; military bravery (武) because of its spurs; courage (勇) because it is a as an auspicious bird with mythical power. Metaphorically, the long crow of the Rooster at the break of dawn was a prelude symbolizing the start of a new generation. Traditional religions that had believed in the supernatural power of the Rooster were based on the bird's role in nature. Upon hearing the crowing sound of the Rooster, goblins and spirits that had roamed in darkness would vanish. The popular belief was that the Rooster embodies five virtues: politeness (文) because of its comb; military bravery (武) because of its spurs; courage (勇) because it is a fearless fighter; benevolence (仁) because it shares its grains; and reliability (信) because it crows at the break of dawn with unchanging regularity.
The Rooster premonishes the arrival of light, a new day. It is the Bird of the Sun. With prophetic power, the Rooster crows to herald the time of the morning. Koreans believed that, when the rooster pecks three times, shakes off its tail, and crows long and loud announcing daybreak, beasts would return to the mountains and evil spirits hide away. According to "The Book of Changes (周易)," the ancient Chinese divination text, the Rooster corresponds to "Ground (巽)" in the eight trigrams (八卦). The Ground's direction points southeast, where daybreak (黎明) starts. Thus, the Rooster was believed to be an auspicious bird or a mythical creature announcing the arrival of light, a new day. The Rooster's existential duality, a bird with large wings but bound to earth, also symbolically connotes its being on the boundary of light and darkness.
In shamanistic legends or founding myths, the Rooster's crow in the morning was regarded as the sound of a new beginning or the birth of the founding father (國父). The opening chapter of "Cheongjihwang Bonpuri," the shamanistic legend on Jeju Island, writes, "The Heavenly Sovereign (天皇) Rooster lifts its neck, the Earthly Sovereign (地皇) Rooster flutters its wings, and the Human Sovereign (人皇) crows aloud, the eastern direction (甲乙東方) sees daybreak." In other words, with the Rooster's crows, the creation of the world begins. In the myth of Gim Al-ji, the king's Great Minister Hogong was passing by the capital Wolseong when he found a golden chest in the tree. Under the tree was a white rooster crowing. Because a boy was found inside the golden chest, he was given the last name "Gim," literally meaning "gold." The sound of a white rooster heralding the birth of a new ruler also symbolized light. In ancient society, the Rooster was a mythical existence that foretold the start of national systems. This was the time when clocks were nonexistent. Especially at night or on cloudy days, people could tell the time from the rooster's cries. In times of ancestral rites, based on the rooster's cry, they built a tomb and performed a rite. Since the rooster crowed with unfailing regularity, people could know the passing of the time, whether it was night or morning. The crowing sound of the rooster announcing daybreak could be found in the Korean classical novel "Simcheongjeon."
"O, Rooster, Rooster! Do not cry. If you cry, a day breaks, and if a day breaks, I will die. I do not fear death but how could I possibly leave my father behind!"
This is the part where Simcheong laments upon hearing the rooster cry at dawn on the day she would be sold to the oarsman. Here, the sound of the rooster signaled daybreak.
