西周시기 신・인간・동물 범주에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study is to show that the categories of gods, humans, and animals in the Western Zhou were not fixed, but always implied the possibility of fluidity and transformation. First of all, this paper depicts human beings who have become prisoners of war and are mobilized for human sacrifice. Human beings entered the process of animalization beyond the boundaries between themselves and animals. But man was also beyond human and divine boundaries. Human beings are transformed into ancestors after death, inhabiting heaven and connecting with the human world. Animals were the objects to be managed and controlled by humans. Hunting was the most effective way for humans to control animals. Animals, on the other hand, were the first to be called when there was a need to describe the world of the gods. The hybrid form most often found in bronze animal ornaments was mobilized to describe this divine world. This strongly suggests that animals are beings that cannot be completely controlled by humans. Finally, animals were sacrificed in sacrifice, and the sacralization of animals aimed to transform the animals into beings suitable for sacrifice. By doing so, the animal loses its identity as an animal and narrows its distance from the divine world.