본 논문에서는 부랴트「아바이 게세르」서사시에 나타난 주동인물과 반동인물의 영혼 대결과 세계인식을 살펴보았다. 『아바이 게세르』에는 몽골 무속적 세계관을 잘 반영해 주고 있다. 서쪽 진영 하늘의 55백천신과 동쪽 진영 하늘의 44흑천신의 대결은 우주 만물의 운동성을 신의 대립 혹은 색의 대립으로 관념했던 것이라 할 수 있다. 백천신과 흑천신의 대결은 선과 악의 대결을 의미하기보다 양과 음, 여름과 겨울, 낮과 밤의 대결, 순환을 의미한다고 이해할 수 있다. 한 히르마스 텡그리와의 대결에서 패배한 아타이 울란 텡그리의 베어진 몸들이 지상으로 떨어져 사악한 마법사, 정령, 만가트하이(괴물)로 변한다. 이들은 본래 신성이기 때문에 몸을 죽여도 죽지 않으며, 이들을 죽이기 위한 방법은 영혼을 찾아 죽이는 길뿐이다. 그래서 주동인물과 반동인물의 싸움은 ‘영혼 죽이기’가 목적이며, 서로 자신의 생명을 지키기 위해 ‘영혼 숨기기’가 매우 중요한 관심사가 된다. 영혼에는 몸 깊은 곳에 숨기는 내재적 영혼, 몸 자체를 바꾸는 변신 영혼, 몸 밖에 두는 외재적 영혼이 있으며, 영혼을 단수 혹은 복수로 두어 은닉성을 강화하기도 한다. 영혼 동물은 주동인물과 반동인물에 따라 정해져 있지 않으며, 활동성, 은닉성, 공격성, 환경에 따라 달리 선택된다. 반동인물들은 영혼이 살해되면 죽임을 당하지만, 그 영혼이 가족들에게도 연결되어 있어 그 존재를 완전히 소멸시키지 못한다. 이들이 불태워져 죽어도 흙으로 돌아가 재생을 기다린다. 내재적 영혼은 강력한 힘을 가진 존재들의 영혼으로 나타나며, 변신은 활동성과 은닉성을 극대화시켜 주는 동물 영혼인 날아다니는 영혼, 달리는 영혼, 기는 영혼, 헤엄치는 영혼 등의 모습으로 묘사된다. 외재적 영혼은 반동인물의 화신 형태로 나타나며, 1차적으로 자연재해나 장애가 되는 자연현상의 위력을 가시화한 것으로, 극복하고 대결해야 할 환경이나 대상이 어려울수록 그것의 은유인 반동인물의 외재적 영혼이 많아진다. 어떤 경우에도 만가트하이는 이 세상에서 종식되지 않는데, 그것은 불사의 존재이자 자연의 영원한 순환적 힘의 한 부분이기 때문이다.

This study set out to investigate spiritual confrontations and world views between the protagonists and antagonists in a Buryat epic poem, Abai Geser, which well reflects the shamanist world view of the Mongolian people. The confrontation between the 55 White Heavenly Gods in the west sky and the 44 Black Heavenly Gods in the east sky is the mobility of all things in the universe conceptualized in the confrontation of gods or colors. The confrontation between them is understood as the confrontation and circulation of yim(陰) and yang(陽), summer and winter, and day and night rather than between good and evil. Defeated in the combat against Khan Khirmas tengri(god), Atai Ulan tengri has his body parts cut off. They fall down to the earth and turn into an evil wizard and spirit called monster. They are divine, which means that they will not die even if their bodies are killed. The only way to kill them is to find and kill their soul. So the fight between the antagonists and protagonists is all about "killing a soul." "Hiding one's soul" becomes a very important concern to protect their own lives. There are a couple of types of soul including the internal soul hiding itself deep in the body, the transformative soul that changes the body, and the external soul that is outside the body. Spiritual animals are determined according to the antagonists and protagonists and selected according to activity, secrecy, aggression, and environments. Once their souls are killed, the antagonists are killed, too. But their existence cannot be completely erased since their souls are connected to their families. Even if they are burned out, they will return to earth and wait for rebirth. Monster is never to be eradicated in the world under any circumstances because he is immortal and a part of nature's eternal, circulatory power.

This study set out to investigate spiritual confrontations and world views between the protagonists and antagonists in a Buryat epic poem, Abai Geser, which well reflects the shamanist world view of the Mongolian people. The confrontation between the 55 White Heavenly Gods in the west sky and the 44 Black Heavenly Gods in the east sky is the mobility of all things in the universe conceptualized in the confrontation of gods or colors. The confrontation between them is understood as the confrontation and circulation of yim(陰) and yang(陽), summer and winter, and day and night rather than between good and evil. Defeated in the combat against Khan Khirmas tengri(god), Atai Ulan tengri has his body parts cut off. They fall down to the earth and turn into an evil wizard and spirit called monster. They are divine, which means that they will not die even if their bodies are killed. The only way to kill them is to find and kill their soul. So the fight between the antagonists and protagonists is all about "killing a soul." "Hiding one's soul" becomes a very important concern to protect their own lives. There are a couple of types of soul including the internal soul hiding itself deep in the body, the transformative soul that changes the body, and the external soul that is outside the body. Spiritual animals are determined according to the antagonists and protagonists and selected according to activity, secrecy, aggression, and environments. Once their souls are killed, the antagonists are killed, too. But their existence cannot be completely erased since their souls are connected to their families. Even if they are burned out, they will return to earth and wait for rebirth. Monster is never to be eradicated in the world under any circumstances because he is immortal and a part of nature's eternal, circulatory power.

Abai Geser, confrontation of souls, world view, summer and winter, monster