한국이나 몽골인의 영혼관은 외래문화의 영향으로 적지 않은 변화를 겪었지만, 기본적으로 전통적인 무속관과 민족 고유의 특질을 바탕으로 한다. 인간의 영혼은 살아있을 때 작용하는 생령과 죽은 후의 영혼인 사령으로 구분하며, 일반적으로 영혼숭배는 사령숭배를 이른다. 한국의 경우, 중국의 음양이원론에 따른 혼백관이 있었지만 전통적으로 민간에서는 3혼에 대한 관념이 있었다. 몽골 무속의 영혼관 역시 3혼관을 바탕으로 하며, 어머니에게서 받은 ‘피와 살의 혼’, 아버지에게서 받은 ‘뼈의 혼’, 명계에 영원히 거하거나 환생하는 ‘지성의 혼’으로, 이러한 혼들이 생존시에 신체를 순환하며 존재한다는 관념이 있다. 몽골어에 영혼을 순스 혹은 순스 술드라고 하는데, 이때 순스는 혼, 넋, 술드는 숨에 비유할 수 있다. 일반적으로 한국과 몽골에는 육체혼과 자유혼에 대한 관념이 있었으며, 계세사상을 바탕으로 하여 시신보존과 매장을 주로 했던 풍습은 육체혼을 중시했던 관념을 반영해준다. 한국과 몽골의 장례풍속은 시대에 따라 다양한 모습으로 나타나지만, 고대로부터 육체혼과 결부된 매장 방식이 기본적인 장례풍속이었다. 두 나라 모두 뼈를 중시하는 관념이 있었으며, 한국의 초분이나 분묘 축조는 이와 관련된 풍속이다. 3년 탈상 기간은 뼈에서 시신이 육탈되는 기간 즉 조상신이 되는 기간으로 두 나라 모두 통과의례적 의미를 갖는다. 육체혼과 함께 자유혼에 대한 관념이 생겨났으며, 자유혼이 천상과 관련되어 표현된 것은 가부장적 왕권이 발달하면서 생겨난 것이라 본다. 한국이나 몽골인의 영혼관은 무속적인 관점에서 매우 유사하다.

The questions on life, death and soul are the most fundamental themes related to the existence of human beings. The view of soul in Korea and Mongolia experienced changes with the infiltration of foreign cultures such as Buddhism and Confucianism, but fundamentally it has peculiar characteristics based on the countries’ traditional shamanism. Under the influence of China, Korean people had the view of soul called “Hon-Baek(魂魄)” that if one dies “his Hon(魂) ascends to heaven and his Baek(魄) goes back to the ground.” In general, however, they used their unique word ‘Neok(넋)” and divided human souls into living spirits and dead spirits. In both Korea and Mongolia, dead spirits are divided into body-souls and free souls. As they believed that if a person dies he lives as a body-soul in underground, they buried grave goods or living attendants together so that the dead could continue life after death. According to this belief, the dead body and the burial custom were regarded as important, and ancestors were worshipped earnestly for the descendents’ peace and prosperity. As the idea of free soul followed after the idea of body-soul, there appeared burial customs and funeral customs that considered both the body󰠏soul and the free soul at the same time. The idea of body-soul and free soul varied according to age, but fundamentally it existed in both Korea and Mongolia, and its contents were similar between the two countries. In the view of soul under Mongolian shamanism, there are three kinds of soul: “the soul of blood and flesh or the soul of flesh” inherited from the mother; “the soul of bone” inherited from the father; and “the soul of intelligence” that lasts forever. The first two souls correspond to the body-soul, and the soul of intelligence corresponds to the free soul. The soul of intelligence, namely, the free soul is not confined in the body but it dwells in the nether world forever or reincarnates as a human, an animal etc. This is the same as Korean people’s idea of Hon or ancestor’s spirit. The custom of valuing the bone of the dead existed in both Korea and Mongolia from ancient times, and they also believed that the bone is the dwelling place of the soul and has the power of revival. Korean people’s bone-washing funeral was a custom that attached importance to the bones, Mongolians’ view of soul is different from Koreans’ in that the three types of soul in Mongolia circulate the body according to date while the person is alive and each of them has its place to dwell or go when the body dies. Although there are differences in living customs and external characteristics, Koreans’ view of soul is similar to Mongolians’ in many ways.

The questions on life, death and soul are the most fundamental themes related to the existence of human beings. The view of soul in Korea and Mongolia experienced changes with the infiltration of foreign cultures such as Buddhism and Confucianism, but fundamentally it has peculiar characteristics based on the countries’ traditional shamanism. Under the influence of China, Korean people had the view of soul called “Hon-Baek(魂魄)” that if one dies “his Hon(魂) ascends to heaven and his Baek(魄) goes back to the ground.” In general, however, they used their unique word ‘Neok(넋)” and divided human souls into living spirits and dead spirits. In both Korea and Mongolia, dead spirits are divided into body-souls and free souls. As they believed that if a person dies he lives as a body-soul in underground, they buried grave goods or living attendants together so that the dead could continue life after death. According to this belief, the dead body and the burial custom were regarded as important, and ancestors were worshipped earnestly for the descendents’ peace and prosperity. As the idea of free soul followed after the idea of body-soul, there appeared burial customs and funeral customs that considered both the body󰠏soul and the free soul at the same time. The idea of body-soul and free soul varied according to age, but fundamentally it existed in both Korea and Mongolia, and its contents were similar between the two countries. In the view of soul under Mongolian shamanism, there are three kinds of soul: “the soul of blood and flesh or the soul of flesh” inherited from the mother; “the soul of bone” inherited from the father; and “the soul of intelligence” that lasts forever. The first two souls correspond to the body-soul, and the soul of intelligence corresponds to the free soul. The soul of intelligence, namely, the free soul is not confined in the body but it dwells in the nether world forever or reincarnates as a human, an animal etc. This is the same as Korean people’s idea of Hon or ancestor’s spirit. The custom of valuing the bone of the dead existed in both Korea and Mongolia from ancient times, and they also believed that the bone is the dwelling place of the soul and has the power of revival. Korean people’s bone-washing funeral was a custom that attached importance to the bones, Mongolians’ view of soul is different from Koreans’ in that the three types of soul in Mongolia circulate the body according to date while the person is alive and each of them has its place to dwell or go when the body dies. Although there are differences in living customs and external characteristics, Koreans’ view of soul is similar to Mongolians’ in many ways.

soul, death, hon-baek, neok, sunc suld