불교의 동진(東進)이전 용은 이미 대중들의 뇌리에 다양한 이미지로 각인되어 있었다. 토템으로부터 고착화된 신적 존재로서 신성(神性)과 원천적 수성(獸性)을 지닌 존재로 사람들의 생활주위에 머물렀다. 이러한 용을 소재로 한 이야기는 불교 사상을 선전하기에 더없이 좋은 도구였다. 기존의 용이 지니는 이미지를 근간으로 의인화(擬人化)된 용왕과 용녀는 인간 세상을 자유롭게 왕래하며, 흡사 여타의 환상고사에서 이물(異物)들이 인간세계를 동경하여 인간으로 변신하는 변신담(變身談)의 주인공처럼 활동하였다. 이야기는 길흉화복(吉凶禍福)과 비환이합(悲歡離合), 정의와 사악 등의 다양한 요소들을 엮어 환상적인 정절을 구성하였다. 이를 통해 개인의 행복과 이상에 대한 아름다운 동경을 드러낼 뿐만 아니라 개인의 행복을 방해하는 세력은 제거되어져야 한다는 당위성을 담아내었다. 이는 불교의 동진이후 인적 공간적 확대를 기초로 구성된 민간고사에 투영된 용의 문화적 기능이다.
Before Buddhism was introduced in China, dragons were already imprinted on the public mind with multiple images of God's character and animal character, worship and fear. Dragons, which are divine beings formed from totem and have animal characteristics, stayed around people's lives. Therefore, the dragon was suitable to replace the Nāga of the Indian Buddhist scriptures and was translated into the dragon during the translation process. Based on this background, the dragon was anthropomorphized, and the domain of activity was extended. The anthropomorphized dragon penetrated into the minds of the general public through the story as Yongawng(龍王) and Yongnyeo(龍女). If they had a special relationship, they could enter the palace. When humans enter the Yonggung, wishes that were not fulfilled in reality were solved. The Yonggung was a place full of all kinds of treasures that resolved the deficiencies of the human world. It was also a fantasy world in the water where all kinds of injustice, corruption, and irrationality in the human world do not exist. The story of Yonggung and Yongnyeo influenced by Buddhism is based on the universal life of mankind. Stories performed cultural functions that influenced human’s personality by revealing various types of good and bad life. Therefore, the story basically unfolds in a space of extremely ordinary human beings' daily activities. The crisis set up here and the process of overcoming reflected the aesthetic and life views of people in crisis. Folktale are essentially characterized by variability because they reflect the real-life environment of the public. These features were also applied to The Yonggung and Yongnyeo stories. Therefore, they influenced the diversification of the story distance and the multipolarization of the story space in the Folktale. In addition, it was positioned as the center of the Folktale and performed a cultural function that exerts influence.
Ⅰ. 들어가는 말
Ⅱ. 불교 동진 이전 인도와 중국에서 용의 문화적 기능
Ⅲ. 불교의 동진 이후 용의 문화적 기능 변화 양상
Ⅳ. 나오는 말
參考文獻