총 44페이지

Culture Focus
3-1.FruitofImmortality:Jujube
The fruit that the three fishermen ate when they arrived at the island
Times
is described as “a fruit that keeps people full for a year if eaten.”
ⓒSocial
Accordingtocommonsense,itisimpossibletoliveforayearbyeating
just one small fruit. However, when fishermen eat this magical fruit,
their strength surges, and their eyes become clear. So, what is this
▲ ujubeisaredsmallfruit.Asit
seems like a small apple, people
fruit? Professor Emeritus Ahn Dong-jun of the Department of Korean
inthepastthoughtofjujubeasan
Language Education at Gyeongsang National University said that this
apple.
fruitwasprobablyajujube.Infact,inTheSecretofUsando,whenthethreefishermenfirstseethefruit,
theysay,“Itlookslikeanapple,butitisnotexactlyanappleweknow.”ProfessorAhnsaid,“Inthepast,
people thought of apples when seeing large jujubes. Therefore, from the passage that says an apple-like
fruit,itcanbeinferredthatthefruiteatenbythefishermenwasthejujube.”Jujubeisoftenexpressedas“the
foodeatenbyimmortals”inTaoism,areligionbasedonimmortalgods.Theconceptissimilartonectar,
thealcoholthatWesternGreekgodsdrank.Infact,inthe“TaoTeChing”writtenbyLaoTzu,thefounder
ofTaoistphilosophy,itiswrittenthatifpeopledrinkwaterandjujube,theywilllivelong.Thereasonwhy
jujube was treated as an elixir of eternal life is because it has excellent nourishing and tonic effects. In
fact,“Donguibogam,”oneofthemostfamousmedievalOrientalmedicalbookswrittenin1610,saysthat
jujubeenergizesthebodyandhelpsthebloodcirculate.LookingatthepartofTheSecretofUsandothat
saysthreefishermenregainedtheirvitalityaftereatingthefruit,itmatchestheefficacyofjujuberecorded
in Donguibogam. Since jujube was a fruit that helped people gain energy, it can be assumed that it was
consideredamedicineforeternallife.
3-2.TheOldManProtectingDokdo
ThemostnotablethinginTheSecretofUsandoisthemysteriousoldman.Whoishe?Hewaslivingalone
on a rocky island with no water or food. According to the tale, the old man had a graceful and dignified
appearance,andthethreemenevensawahalobehindtheoldman.Whenthethreefishermensaid,“We
haven’thadasipofwaterforfourdaysandareexhaustedfromhunger.Couldyougiveussomewaterand
food?”heresponded,“Thereisnowaterandnothingforpeopletoeat.”Thispartrevealsthattheoldman
isnotjustahumanbeing.Ashesavedthelivesofthethreefishermenwhoweredriftingandhelpedthe
people who came onto the island, it shows the function of the local guardian of Dokdo who oversaw the
well-beingandpeaceoftheregion.
3-3.Dokdo:TheGatetoUtopia
The fact that the entire island of Dokdo was seen as a land where immortals lived can be confirmed by
the tale. This is because when people went out on a boat to find the mysterious island again, they only
witnessed peach blossoms floating down. “Peach blossom” is used as a symbol to indicate a place where
God lives. In the Chinese poem “Peach Blossom Valley,” there is the story of a peach blossom at the
entrancetoMureungdowon,*andbasedonthispoem,peachblossomsoftenappearedasamotifinother
immortaltalestosuggestthelocationofMureungdowon.
Culture
Foundation
Then why are there peach blossoms? This is because
peachesareasymbolicfruitinTaoismthatisassociated
ⓒGyeongGi
witheternallife.“Yojiyeondo”isadrawingthatdepicts
a splendid banquet held at Yoji, a pond at the top of
▲ Yojiyeondo”isapaintingdepictingtheworldof
Mount Kunlun* where the Queen Mother of the West*
immortals.Inthepicture,peachispaintedeverywhere.
lives. In this painting, a scene where the King of the
This confirms that people in the past considered
peachestobethefoodofgods.
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