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Kim, Il-gu. “Hermes and Hun-Dun: the Western and Eastern Personification.” Studies on English Language & Literature. 34.4(2008): 101-125. In this paper I compared Hermes and Hun-Dun to grasp the characteristics of the Western and Eastern personification. As the Hermes myths show in various narratives, personification and anthropomorphism have been pervasive in the Western culture since long ago. On the contrary Hun-Dun in the Eastern culture represents a revolt against what was perceived as anthropomorphism and order. As the representative form
of chaos, Hun-Dun has remained in the Eastern culture as “the necessary other and the opaque
turbulence that challenges and complements the transparency of order.” Rather, avoiding the
violence inherent in personifications, the amorphous forms of cosmocentrism such as the
Greek’s Gaia and Chinese Pangu reveal the ancient people’s ecological wisdom on organic
planetary systems by pursuing a more holistic approach and illuminating the corresponding
interaction between nature and the human spirit. (Hannam University)