『질마재 신화』에 나타난 귀향의 의미

초록

This paper examines the meaning of homecoming in “Jilmajae Myth”. As a premise for the discussion, the study redefines “Jilmajae Myth” as a composition of songs of peculiarity (gi-i, 奇異), collected fragments (seub-yu, 拾遺), and narratives of remembrance (yusa, 遺事). “Jilmajae Myth” has been regarded as both the starting and ending point of Seo Jeong-ju's poetry. The wandering begins with Jilmajae, prompting an inquiry into the meaning of the original home, situated at the core of fundamental loss. This longing for return and homecoming operates as a poetic driving force, a theme strongly present in Seo Jeong-ju's early poetry. However, the shift from ‘The Story of Jilmajae Village’ to “Jilmajae Myth” introduces new value questions of a different dimension. The phrase “Jilmajae Myth” begins with the naming of the narrator, the storyteller. The ‘myth’ itself is read as a horizontal symbol, nullifying the distinctions between supernatural beings, nature, humans, and culture. In this sense, “Jilmajae Myth” closely resembles a collection of the peculiar and the forgotten. It serves as a record of intimate interactions with spirits—what the poet describes as “communion with familiar ghosts.” In Jilmajae Village, where spirits, humans, and songs coexist, the fundamental order follows the principle of “eun-hyeong (隱形, invisibility)”. The storyteller of Jilmajae remains a poet until the very end, paradoxically ensuring his immortality as the ‘founder of history.’ The privileged status of the poetic narrator, who collects and interprets these stories, forms the essence of “Jilmajae Myth”. This is because Jilmajae exists in the festivals, songs, and narratives lived out by the storytellers. Within “Jilmajae Myth”, the poet assumes the role of the commentator-narrator who gathers and interprets the stories left behind by the village's sacred maidens. The poetic narrator positions himself as the interpreter of collective memory, giving voice to the community's history. As poetic imagination takes root within his recited poetry, the meaning of home emerges as a shared space of belonging.

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