Sumyeong-jangja
Jeju Island shamanism · mortal · Jeju Island shamanism traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Sumyeong-jangja is the cruel and arrogant rich man of the Cheonji-wang bon-puri, a mortal magnate who oppresses the poor, adulterates the grain he lends, and mistreats even his own household, all while boasting that he fears neither heaven nor the gods. His insolence draws Cheonji-wang down from the sky, who visits fire and lightning upon his estate as a demonstration of divine justice at the very opening of the world. As a punished human wrongdoer rather than a deified being, he stands in the chant as the archetype of impiety against whom the newly established cosmic order is measured.
Domains
- tyranny and avarice
Powers
- hoard wealth and abuse the poor
Relations
- enemy: Cheonji-wangCheonji-wang descends to punish him for his arrogance.Hyun Yong-jun, Jeju-do musok jaryo sajeon (Seoul: Singu Munhwasa, 1980) (primary)
Sources
- Sumyeong-jangja is a wicked, arrogant magnate in the Cheonji-wang bon-puri whom Cheonji-wang punishes with fire and lightning for his cruelty and defiance of heaven.: Hyun Yong-jun, Jeju-do musok jaryo sajeon [Dictionary of Jeju Shamanic Materials] (Seoul: Singu Munhwasa, 1980) (primary); Choi Won-oh, An Illustrated Guide to Korean Mythology (Folkestone: Global Oriental, 2008) (secondary)