두린굿

The tradition & historical record

The Durin-gut (lit. 'deranged ritual'), also called the Michin-gut (lit. 'insane ritual') and the Chuneun-gut (lit. 'dancing ritual'), is the ritual (gut) for mental illnesses in the Korean shamanism of southern Jeju Island. While commonly held as late as the 1980s, it has now become very rare due to the introduction of modern psychiatry. In Korean shamanism, a disease—whether physical or mental—is often thought to be caused by the entry of a malevolent spirit into the body. The Durin-gut seeks to cure the mental illness by exorcising this spirit, which is often identified as a yeonggam, a type of dokkaebi or goblin-like being with a penchant for attaching to human women that he lusts for. A similar exorcistic ceremony to treat mental illnesses, called the Gwang'in-gut (lit. 'Madman's ritual'), is known in North Gyeongsang Province in mainland Korea. The Durin-gut begins with the introductory ceremonies common to all major Jeju rituals, in which the gods are invited to the ritual ground. Once these have been completed, a number of dance sessions begin, in which the lead shaman sings and the apprentice shamans beat drums and gongs while the patient is made to dance to the music. The dancing may extend for as many as fifteen days. When the patient is physically unable to dance further after a number of sessions, the lead shaman talks to the patient, who is thought to be channeling the spirit inside their body. ¹

Durin-gut is a compound of durin, the adnominal form of the Jeju-language adjectival verb durida "to be deranged; to be foolish; to be lacking; to be young", and the noun gut "ritual". It is also called the Michin-gut, meaning "insane ritual", and the Chuneun-gut, literally "dancing ritual," after its key component of making the patient dance to the point of collapse. ¹

Korean shamanism traditionally offers a number of supernatural explanations for human illnesses, both physical and mental. This includes the escape of part of the soul due to a traumatic or shocking event, especially common in childhood when the soul's association with the body is weaker; the attachment of a malignant force, such as a minor spirit or ritual impurity, upon the patient's body, also often caused by a traumatic event; and the anger of a god or an ancestor at the patient's behavior. Various ritual methods are used to cure disease. If part of a child's soul has escaped, the shaman holds rituals to put it back inside the body. When a malevolent force has attached to the patient, small-scale healing ceremonies may be held to detach it. Sometimes, the shaman confines the patient and makes them follow certain taboos in order to be cured. Large-scale rituals, or gut, are required for certain diseases such as smallpox. In these rituals, the shaman engages in active communication with the gods or ancestors that have brought on the disease and convinces or intimidates them into departing or taking mercy. The Durin-gut—the healing ceremony for mental disorders in Jeju Island shamanism—belongs to the final category, in which the shaman communicates with a malevolent deity that has entered the body and forces it to depart. The deity in question is often a yeonggam, a type of dokkaebi or goblin-like being. According to these spirits' origin myth, the Yeonggam bon-puri shamanic narrative, the yeonggam are seven brothers born in Seoul but exiled to Mount Halla in Jeju Island. The youngest of the yeonggam brothers is a hideous creature who often attaches to human women that are the objects of his lust, and drives them insane. ¹

As with most Jeju rituals, the Durin-gut begins with the Samseok-ullim (lit. 'resounding of the three seats'), a sacred drum performance held before the formal beginning of the ritual. This serves to forewarn the gods that the ritual will be held on that day. Again like all major rituals, the Durin-gut proper begins with a version of the Chogam-je, a series of ceremonies that serve to invite the gods into the ritual grounds. The Chogam-je of the Durin-gut involves the Bepo-doeop-chim, in which the shaman narrates the Jeju creation myth; the Nal-gwa-guk-seomgim (lit. 'serving up the day and country'), in which the time and place of the ritual is specified for the sake of the gods; the Yeonyu-dakkeum (lit. 'polishing the causes'), in which the shaman explains the reasons the ritual is being held, in this case the specific details of the patient's illness; the Gunmun-yeollim (lit. 'opening the divine gates'), in which the shaman opens the gates of the gods' abode to allow them to descend into the human world; the Sincheong-gwe, in which the shaman leads the gods from the village pavilion where they have descended into the actual ritual ground; and the San-bada-bonbu-saroem (lit. 'Receiving omens to convey the message'), in which the shaman divines the will of the gods by throwing his sacred mengdu implements and receives divine approval that the ritual should continue. The Chogam-je is followed by the Chumul-gong'yeon, when the shaman asks the gods to accept the offered sacrifices. ¹

Once the preliminary rites have been completed, the essential procedure of the Durin-gut ensues: the Chum-chwium (lit. 'Making one dance'). The Chum-chwium consists of a number of dancing sessions. A session begins with the shaman offering incense and new water and liquor at the altars for the assembled gods. Then the lead shaman sings while the apprentice shamans play the sacred drums to a relatively slow beat. The lyrics of the song include fixed refrains as well as the Yeonggam bon-puri narrative, but the shaman also improvises specific lyrics about the patient's life and condition. In the 1984 ritual, this included a comparison between the patient's life as an impoverished factory worker and the lives of the more fortunate. The patient and the villagers assembled to watch the ritual all wept as they heard the song, and the shaman herself wept while singing. ¹

Money, money, unspeakable money—to get this demon-like money A forlorn child lost her parents early; thinking she should make good money She went to that factory at Majang-dong, Seoul, Gyeonggi Province Living in dormitories, eating regulated meals, sleeping regulated sleep... Who is that person whose fortune is good, who lives at home with both his parents? He goes to high school and to college; he wins success in society... ¹

The patient is made to dance to the song and the beat. Once the song is finished, the apprentice shamans change to a much quicker drumbeat, to which the patient must now dance frantically. The instruments themselves also change; while the song is accompanied by the buk and janggu drums, the faster beat involves the buk drum and both suspended and bowl gongs. Once the fast dance is finished, the shaman may sing and the patient may dance again to the slower beat. ¹

The conclusion of the Durin-gut varies. In some cases, the shaman holds a rite called the Oksal-jium, asking forgiveness from the spirit for forcing it to leave and promising off… ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Durin-gut”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

Durin-gut is Korean shamanic ritual for healing mental illnesses, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 2 external registers, which can be verified through the citation. ²