매죽헌 성삼문 설화 고찰

A Study on Folk Tales about Maejukheon(梅竹軒) Seong, Sammun

Seong, Sammun(成三問:1418-1456) was put to death because he tried to restore Danjong(端宗), a dethroned king under the rule of Sejo in Joseon (朝鮮) Dynasty. He was considered one of the most loyal patriot during Jeseon Dynasty. In addition, he takes a special position as a figure in of Joseon Dynasty. However, there has been no research about his folk tales. While he is well known in history, he is not revealed as a figure in folk tales. This research focuses on how legends about Seong, Sammun were shaped and shows the outlines of his stories. The purpose of this research is to inquire into the characteristics of legends about Seong, Sammun after diachronic research is done on the formation and development of his legends. Seong, Sammun resisted against Sejo(世祖) and was killed in 1461. As a result, he was not discussed in the country for approximately two hundred years after his death. Nobody spoke in favor of him publicly. A king dismissed a man from office when his man spoke for Seong, Sammun in the imperial court, and a king ordered that biographies about Seong, Sammun be destroyed by fire. In the late 1700s, repression of his legend started to be reduced. In 1691, the ban on mentioning him was lifted. The lifting of this ban coincides with the change from the totalitarian values of Joseon into the general values of Confucianism. From the 15th to the 17th century, people could not fully enjoy folk tales about Seong, Sammun. Therefore, the legends about him remained simple anecdotes and could not spread as intriguing folk tales. Because socially and ideologically suppressed situations interrupted the development and spread of the folk tales, ordinary and interesting legends of Seong, Sammun could not be found in important collections of documented folktales in this time period. The Book of Six Men(六臣錄) written in the Korean language in the late 17th century contained a story about Seong, Sammun. This book was not directly translated from Biographies of Six Men(六臣傳) written by Nam, Hyoon(南孝溫) but transcribed the oral version. In addition, anecdotes handed down orally from generation to generation were added. The Book of Six Men has the quality not of written literature but of oral traditional literature due to its personal, special characteristics of Seong, Sammun. Folktales of Seong, Sammun were orally transmitted more freely and developed as historical folklores for fun (野談). Compared with the previous tales about him, the plots were lengthened, and historical folklores were changed into fictional stories. Seong, Sammun was described not as a heroic, resistant character but as a poor, ordinary nobleman. Characters in different versions show differences because unofficial historical tales were popular in the late Joseon Dynasty. A local legend of Seong, Sammun was orally transmitted widely around his tomb in Yangchonli Gayagokmyeon, Nonsangun. According to the legend, one of his legs that was amputated while he suffered from harsh punishment is buried here. Other legends say a lot about his dignity and spirit. Evidence can make legends different from unofficial historical tales for fun. Even though historical folklores lost their power of oral tradition, local legends still have the power of oral tradition because of a piece of evidence about the legend. Therefore, the local legend will keep being handed down orally in the future.