The Seondeok–Jigwi Encounter: A Folkloric and Historical Artifact of the Silla Kingdom’s Religious and Social Landscape
In English-language academic publications outside of a small handful of translations, the encounter between Jigwi (지귀 [志鬼]) and the Silla monarch Seondeok (선덕여왕 [善德女王], r. 632–647) has received scant attention, perhaps because of scholarly views that dismiss folklore as an insufficient foundation fo...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
MDPI
2023
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In: |
Religions
Year: 2023, Volume: 14, Issue: 7 |
Further subjects: | B
Stith Thompson classification system
B Seondeok of Silla (r. 632–647) B Jigwi |
Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
Summary: | In English-language academic publications outside of a small handful of translations, the encounter between Jigwi (지귀 [志鬼]) and the Silla monarch Seondeok (선덕여왕 [善德女王], r. 632–647) has received scant attention, perhaps because of scholarly views that dismiss folklore as an insufficient foundation for a thoroughly objective evaluation of the past. On the other hand, an assessment of folklore as a repository of cultural and societal knowledge can help to justify the use of the Stith Thompson classification system as a way of extrapolating insights on the life of Queen Seondeok and the man who passionately desired to have a personal audience with the monarch. Through discerning reflections on the tale of the Seondeok–Jigwi encounter, one can appreciate the contours of a nuanced and pluralistic world of Silla belief systems, a complicated society partly guided by the powerful attraction of Seondeok’s personality, and a social hierarchy that one cannot carelessly reduce into simplistic dichotomies between privileged nobles and humble commoners. |
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ISSN: | 2077-1444 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Religions
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3390/rel14070841 |