Draft:Ch'ilsong 칠성 七星 (Chilsong)

Ch'ilsong 칠성 七星 (Chilsong)

칠성 （Korean） 七星 （Hanja）: 칠성 （Korean） 七星 （Hanja）: Ch'ilsong, other name: The Spirit of the Seven Stars, the Big Dipper/Great Bear constellation

During the Chosŏn period, the ritual of the seven stars of the Great Dipper was widespread. Despite the royal court abolishing it at the state level, the ritual remained popular, a testament to the power of personal beliefs. Individuals continued to privately pray to the Dipper to fulfill their various wishes. Buddhism during this period appealed to nearly all social classes in Chosŏn, including members of the Confucian elite, who sought the aid of the Great Dipper by presenting ritual manuals and establishing religious shrines for its performance. Sŏn masters also embraced this Buddhist trend. For instance, Paekp'a Kŭngsŏn 白坡亘璇 (1767–1852) compiled one of the most comprehensive Korean Buddhist manuals for the Great Dipper cult, thereby creating a connection between Buddhism and Daoist-folk religious cults in Chosŏn society.

Chilsong is prayed to for various blessings such as the birth of a baby, success in school exams, wealth, long life, and the protection of young children. Chilsong is characterized by the magnificent light that emanates from every part of its body. Although considered as one deity, Chilsong is represented as seven individual figures, with its appearance tailored to the artistic goals, allowing it to look shamanic, Buddhist, Taoist, or Confucian.

Once upon a time, Changso-ryong from the county of Chang and Songso-ryong from the county of Song were married. Although they accumulated a great deal of wealth, they lived in sadness because the couple did not have any sons or daughters as they reached their fifties. One day, they heard that the Buddha of Sangju Temple was highly responsive to fertility prayers. So, they sent ninety thousand sheets of silk, one thousand bales of high-quality white rice, one thousand bales of medium-quality white rice, and one thousand bales of low-quality white rice to the Sangju Temple for the Surukjae, a rite for calling the birthing goddess to assist conception. Following this offering for the Surukjae, the couple finally gave birth to a daughter.

When their daughter was seven years old, her father was called to heaven, and her mother went to the underworld to take up positions in government. Although the couple wanted to bring their daughter with them, they could not do so. So, she was confined in a room with forty-eight windows.

They instructed the maid, Nujindokjong, to provide food and clothes through a hole so that their daughter could stay alive until their return, promising to set her free afterwards. After giving her these instructions, they left for their governing positions. For six days, Nujindokjong provided food and clothes through the hole. However, on the seventh day when she brought dinner, she couldn't see the child through the hole. The maid searched for the her for three days and nights but found no trace of her. Feeling helpless, she wrote a letter to her masters, informing them that their daughter was missing and urging them to return home quickly. When all hope had disappeared, she wrote letters to her employers, informing them that they needed to return home quickly because their daughter was missing.

After the daughter left through a hole in one of the forty-eight windows, she wandered into a field and lost her way back home. Frightened, she sat down on the bank of a river and cried out for fourteen days and nights. She was almost dying of starvation when she saw three monks coming from the East and called out, "Monk, please help me." The first monk passed her by without a second glance. Again, she called, "Monk, please help me." But the second monk also passed her by without a second glance.

Finally, the third monk approached and asked her, "Who are you?"

The daughter responded, "I am the daughter of His Excellency Changolryong from Chang County."

The third monk recognized her and exclaimed, "Ah, you are the daughter of the couple who prayed to our temple for a child."

The third monk carefully wrapped the daughter in his long-sleeved Buddhist robe and continued his journey to the county of Chang. Meanwhile, the Changsolryong couple, having resigned from their government positions, searched tirelessly for their daughter but to no avail. Their days were filled with deep sorrow and heavy sighs. The monk then concealed the daughter under a large stone placed in front of the farthest gate of His Excellency Changsolryong's residence before entering the house.

"Excuse me, may I come in? I am a monk," said the third monk.

"I don't care if you are a monk or a monkey. My daughter, for whom we prayed at your temple and who was born there, has vanished without a trace. Can you read my fortune and predict where my daughter might be?" asked Changsolryong.

The third monk's response to His Excellency Changsolryong was enigmatic, as he mentioned that His Excellency's daughter could be in a place where she could hear his voice, or perhaps only if he shouted. He then suggested digging underneath the big stone at the front gate. His unconventional and puzzling advice provoked anger in His Excellency Changsolryong, who believed the monk was to blame for his misfortune. Seeing the danger, the monk fled, covering an extraordinary distance. As a last attempt to find his daughter, His Excellency Changsolryong followed the monk's advice, and, to his relief, discovered his daughter tightly wrapped in a long-sleeved robe.

As he unwrapped the long-sleeved robe to free her, he noticed that his daughter's face had dark spots. She appeared to have gained some weight, and her tummy bulged out. "How unspeakable! How dishonorable that my unmarried daughter has become pregnant! This cannot happen to a family of our standing," lamented His Excellency Changsolryong.

Although His Excellency Changsolryong considered ending the life of his beloved daughter to preserve his family's reputation, he ultimately could not bring himself to do so. Instead, he placed his daughter in a cast-iron box, secured it, and cast it into the East Sea. Driven by the tide, the cast-iron box made its way to Cheju Island. Upon reaching the island, the box attempted to come ashore at the port of Sanji, but was thwarted by the power of Sebyondowonsu, the Ch'ilmori Shrine God. It then attempted to land in Hwabuk, but was once again obstructed, this time by the force of the Kari Shrine God. Finally, it redirected itself toward Dunmulsonan, and sailed to Ssokungae near Hamdok, settling at P'aengp'ungyo below Somo Hill.

Seven divers resided in Shinhung, Hamdok. One morning, they set out for Ssukungae in P'aengp'ungyo under Somo Hill, equipped with buoys, nets, and spears. During their excursion, they stumbled upon a cast iron box on the beach. In their eagerness to claim it, all seven divers rushed for the box, becoming entangled in a tussle and grasping each other's hair. Meanwhile, the elder Song was strolling towards P'aengp'ungyo under Somo Hill, carrying rockfish fishing equipment, a fishing pole, and a small bamboo basket. As he approached the beach, he overheard the noisy banter of the women (the seven divers) and, curious if they had any anchovies, hastened to join them, only to find the seven divers engaged in a squabble.

"Hey! Why are you fighting so fiercely?" scolded Elder Song.

"Elder Song, listen to me. I am the one who found the cast iron box, but those people are claiming that they found it first. So, I am fighting for my right," appealed one of the divers.

"Don't be so foolish. Why don't you share whatever you find inside the box equally? After you divide it by seven, will you give me the empty box so that I can use it as a tobacco box?" said Elder Song.

"That sounds fair, we will follow your advice," said the seven divers.

"Hey! Why are you fighting so fiercely?" scolded Elder Song. "Elder Song, listen to me. I am the one who found the cast iron box, but those people are claiming that they found it first. So, I am fighting for my right," appealed one of the divers. "Don't be so foolish. Why don't you share whatever you find inside the box equally? After you divide it by seven, will you give me the empty box so that I can use it as a tobacco box?" said Elder Song. "That sounds fair, we will follow your advice," said the seven divers.

When Elder Song lifted the cast iron box and threw it on the ground three times, it opened by itself. Everyone peered inside and discovered Changsolryong's daughter had transformed into a mother snake, accompanied by seven baby snakes. Their tongues darted in and out, their eyes were sharp, and their bodies were colorful. There were indeed seven snakes in total.

"How ugly and dirty!" remarked Elder Song. He then used his fishing pole to grab the snakes and threw them both to the East and to the West with the help of the seven divers. Since that day, Elder Song and the seven divers have suffered from belching and eye infections. The seven divers and Song felt uncomfortable and decided to consult a female shaman in Kamulgae to learn about their fortunes. The shaman revealed that they were cursed due to their lack of respect for gods from a foreign land. She advised them to partake in two shamanistic rites, Chonsaenamkut and Ch'ilsongsaenamkut. After hiring a shaman to perform these rites, the seven divers and elder Song not only recovered from their illnesses but also amassed great wealth. Consequently, they established the Ch'ilsong Shrine in front of Somo Hill to pay homage to the snakes, and their actions were emulated by the entire village of Hamdok, leading to widespread prosperity.

The mother went to the barn and became an indoor Ch'ilsong Goddess who protected all harvested grains, and her seven babies became the outdoor Ch’ilsong Goddesses for protecting the places where they were seated.

References

References:

Buswell, R., & Lopez, D. (2014). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. : Princeton University Press. Retrieved 25 Jun. 2024, from https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780190681159.001.0001/acref-9780190681159. Chilsong. (2024). The British Muesum. Chilsong. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG8802 Choi, W. (2008). 8. Ch’ilsŏng, Grain Protection Goddess. In An Illustrated Guide to Korean Mythology (pp. 83–89). https://doi.org/10.1163/ej.9781905246601.i-320.23 Grayson, K. (2002). Korea: A Religious History. Psychology Press. Kim, Seong Uk. (2023). Buddhist Rituals of Ch’ilsŏng, the Seven Stars of the Great Dipper, in Chosŏn Korea. Journal of Korean Religions, 14(1), 59–86. https://doi.org/10.1353/jkr.2023.0002 Quarrington, D. (2020). Chilseong-gak – The Seven Stars Hall: 칠성각. https://koreantempleguide.com/chilseong-gak-the-seven-stars-hall-%EC%B9%A0%EC%84%B1%EA%B0%81/