In recent days, there have been heavy winds and wind warnings in the region of Paju where Shawn lives. The deity from the Korean pantheon that oversees the winds is Pung-shin, also called (among many names) Yeong-deung.
Pung-shin is often depicted as an elderly woman, a grandmotherly figure. Other regions depict the god as a grandfather. Either way, Pung-shin is worshipped and appeased in homes and in villages where wind plays an important role, such as for fishing and farming folk. In some regions of Korea, it is said that Pung-shin descends to earth from the sky only once a year – the first day of the second lunar month. Other variations of the belief hold that Pung-shin descends multiple times a year. Rites for Pung-shin are held on these days and the weather on said days is often used to divine the upcoming harvest.
Photo credit: Visit Jeju
