Divination

Divination was a significant part of daily life in old Korea. For some, it still is. We predict you’ll get something out of this episode. 

Media suggestions: horror movies with fortune tellers –

The Dead Zone

Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors

Don’t Look Now

The Psychic

Nightmare Alley (original and remake)

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Credits

Produced by Joe McPherson, Shawn Morrissey, and Mia Roncati

Music by Soraksan

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Notes

Divination was a significant, daily part of old Korea (same in most cultures); still prominent for many modern Koreans; saju remains popular 

Famous/legendary diviners

• Yi Ji-ham (mid-16th century scholar)
  • Wrote Tojeong Bigyeol (Divinatory Secrets of Tojeong)
  • Used for New Years fortune-telling
    • Similar to I Ching – readers choose three trigrams, create combination
    • Combination corresponds to entry in book (type of paja-jeom/glyphomancy) 
    • Entry reads fortune 
    • Process repeated once a month
  • Legends surround Yi and family
    • Daughter’s tale shared on Patreon, now made public!
• Wonhyo
  • Beloved legendary Silla monk (7th century)
  • Foresaw landslide in China, used powers to save 1000 monks
  • Supernatural monk tales (including divination) called goseung-jeonseol (see: Divine Monks & Shapeshifters episode)
• Muhak
  • Advisor to King Taejo (Yi Seong-gye)
  • Allegedly advised Gwanghwamun (not necessarily Geunjeong-jeon) to face east to bring long fortune to Yi dynasty (i.e. 1000 years); not doing so would lead to shorter kingdom (i.e. 500 years) 
• Samyeong-dang (aka Yoojeong)
  • Buddhist monk
  • Predicted Imjin War
    • Built ten temples in Samgak-san divined to be linked to kingdom’s prosperity; we visit one on Seoul Hike
• Jeong Yak-yong
  • Joseon philosopher (19th century)
  • Wrote many books on divination 
• Folktale type specifically focused on divining called jeombok-dam
  • Tales often focus on importance of following divinations, highlighting belief 
• Blind fortune teller motif 
  • Tales often include blind fortune-tellers; widely found ‘inner sight’ characters, though able to see the dead and communicate with divine beings 
  • Tale included in comic (‘The Truly Blind’), often transmitted as Hong Gye-gwan, sometimes not 

In old society

• Discussed in various past episodes 
• Pungsu-jiri (geomancy; linked to feng shui)
  • Important for divining auspicious locations (i.e. Seoul itself, including Blue House, homes, tombs, etc)
• Gwangsang-gam (Office for the Observance of Natural Phenomena) 
  • Government office employing soothsayers (still recruited through civil exams)
  • Suggested many employees were blind (may not be true)
• Fortune tellers and shamans widely sought for counsel
• ‘Monthly divination’ important (dal-puri)
  • Soy beans put into well; removed next morning; if beans are swollen or not determined rainfall that month (specifically called kong-jeom) 
•  Some signs used in common divination
  • Sun
    • Circle appearing around sun foretells major national misfortune
  • Moon
    • Clouds covering moon rising over horizon foretell great disaster 
  • Rain
    • Rain on Chuseok foretells poor barley harvest
    • Rain on day of one’s death foretells rain on every death anniversary 
  • Snow
    • Yellowish snow on New Year’s day foretells bountiful harvest
  • Rainbow
    • Rainbow over well is sign of divinity
  • From the sky
    • Meteor falling into sea foretells of poor catch 
  • Cows
    • First food cow eats on New Year’s day foretells good harvest of that food
  • Chickens
    • Roosters crowing in trees foretell drought
  • Crows/magpies
    • Crow cawing at night foretells disease/epidemic 
    • Magpies cawing very early in morning foretells good fortune 
  • Spiders 
    • Spider descending from ceiling in morning foretells good fortune; descending from night foretells bad fortune
  • Butterflies
    • Seeing a while butterfly in early spring foretells death of a parent
  • Owls
    • Owls hooting near home foretell tigers roaming nearby
  • Trees
    • Trees dying near a shrine foretell misfortune
    • A pine tree dying foretells national misfortune (red pines very important to Korean lore)
  • Dreams
    • Dreaming of rainstorms foretells disease
    • Dreaming of heavy snow/being trapped in snow/hit by snow foretells the death of parent
    • Dreaming of water foretells financial fortune (know someone who believes this) 
  • Through spirits/deities 
    • Possession could result in powers of divination (i.e. shamans, the blind, young boys)

In modern society

Divination still prominent in Korea today (research/poll results will be released with the episode); 

• Some claim shamanism is feared and ridiculed – disagree, no more than any other religion in Korea (Korea is mostly irreligious); hardship of shamanism dates back 1000+ years;  shamanism/fortune telling has boomed (see: Interview with the Shaman episode) 
• Saju (four pillars) remains popular
  • Four pillars: year, month, day, and hour
  • Visited saju reader once
  • Easy to find around Jongno; interestingly, tarot readers are common
  • Many meet readers for marital advice (compatibility, dates, etc.); ‘marital compatibility’ is called gungham
    • Mother-in-law met one for my gungham and wedding date
    • Gungham folktale (peddler and wife) 
  • Saju readers (and other fortune tellers) often advise changing one’s name to improve fortune
    • Poor marriage compatibility? Change your name
    • Friend’s daughter has health issues; fortune teller advised changing child’s name; family changed child’s name

• Yoon Seok-yeol allegedly hired a shaman (Geonjin Beopsa) as a campaign advisor; denied this

• Yoon allegedly met with many high profile fortune tellers 
• Yoon moved presidential residence; rumours say he was informed to do so; most previous presidents experienced misfortune; Blue House suggested inauspicioius
• Kim Geon-hee, Yoon’s wife, receives consultation from self-professed spiritual leader Mujeong 
• Contemporary legends
  • Children conduct games (rituals to them); contact ghosts to divine the future, ask questions, etc. (see: Urban Legends episode)