동학민요 파랑새노래 연구

A Study on Blue Bird Song, the Folk Song of Donghak Peasant Revolution

The study intensively dealt with the meaning of Blue Bird Song, the folk song of Donghak. First, the study reviewed the song by classifying it into its type and considered the historical and cultural context all together. Based on an understanding of the initial meaning of the song, the study approached the in-depth meaning of it, and further, the study revealed the symbolic meaning of ‘the blue bird’. At the same time, the study attempted an overall approach in order to review the pattern of the blue bird appearing in diverse genres of literature. ‘The blue bird’ is a combination of ‘blue’ and ‘ a bird’. A bird is perceived as a messenger who delivers the will of Heaven to humans. The blue color symbolizes the ideal human image, and spiritual aspiration. Accordingly, ‘the Blue Bird’ in Blue Bird Song should be seen not as a physical thing, but as a sort of an emblem, that is, a symbol of ‘being greenish’.