Knowra Korean shamanism Korean shamanism Korean shamanism is a religious tradition in which shamans mediate with spirits through ritual, healing, divination, and offerings. Its practices vary across regions and communities.
Mudang : A Korean shaman who performs rituals and mediates between humans and spirits. Mudang conduct the rites and interpret the spiritual relationships at the heart of the tradition.
Korean folk religion : The varied local beliefs and rites through which Koreans have engaged spirits, ancestors, and protective powers. Korean shamanism is a major strand within this broader field of popular religious practice.
Kim Keum-hwa : A prominent Korean shaman known for preserving and performing ritual traditions, including the West Coast rites. Her public work brought ritual knowledge and regional traditions to wider national attention.
Gut (Korean shamanic ritual) : A Korean shamanic rite involving offerings, music, dance, and communication with spirits. Gut is the ritual framework used for healing, divination, protection, and communal ceremonies.
Muism : A name used for Korean shamanic religion, derived from the Korean word for a shaman. The label highlights efforts to describe shamanic practice as a coherent religious tradition.
Naerim-gut : An initiation rite in which a newly called Korean shaman receives spirits and begins ritual practice. This rite marks the transition into shamanic vocation in traditions where a spirit calling is central.
Korean mythology : Traditional narratives of Korean gods, culture heroes, origins, and supernatural beings. Mythic figures and stories supply ritual traditions with accounts of spirits and sacred origins.
Hwanghaedo Naerim-gut : A shamanic initiation tradition from Hwanghae Province, now largely practiced by North Korean diaspora communities in South Korea. Its practitioners illustrate how lineage and migration sustain regional forms of shamanism.
Korean folk healing : Healing practices in Korea that draw on local knowledge, ritual, and spiritual explanations of illness. Some shamans address suffering through rites understood to restore spiritual or social balance.
Korean Buddhism : The diverse Buddhist traditions that developed in Korea, including monastic and popular practices. Buddhist and shamanic practices have often coexisted and influenced one another in Korean life.
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