Between Arthurian Folk Traditions and Korean Folk Traditions

Comparing the stories of two mythical figures, King Arthur and Chumong, on the whole, we can easily find the slight differences which originate from the disparity in culture, religion, and the way of life. However, as implied in the fact that the "collective unconsciousness" is deeply embedded in human psychology, universality underlies the mythical heroes in terms of the biographical patterns. In comparison with the biographical pattern of Chumong with Malory's Arthur, most episodes in the former's biographical life pattern corresponds to those of Arthur's life. In addition to the morphological characteristics, the universal features between the Arthurian literature and the Korean tales in terms of heroic literature are also found regardless of the disparity in the cultural and religious background. Moreover, the universal motifs such as quest for life-restoring object, journey to the Underworld, and marriage are shared between Korean and Arthurian folktales.