ABSTRACT
Gut 굿 is a traditional Korean ritual in which a mudang 무당 (shaman) prays to spirits on behalf of humans, dedicating offerings, songs and dances to them. A mudang is a mediator between jaegajip 재가집 (humans who request and pay for a gut) and “spirits,” and gut is a communicational site where humans and gods meet. Gut can be divided into two categories: “gut for an individual,” in which the shaman prays for good luck or for a disease to be healed, or leads the dead to the afterlife; and “gut for a village,” in which the shaman prevents natural disaster and misfortune, and prays for solidarity and peace within the community. Each province has its own version of gut, with a different name. For example, “gut for the deceased” is called jin-o-gwi gut 진오귀굿, ogu-gut 오구굿, saenam-gut 새남굿 or ssitgim-gut 씻김굿; and “gut for a village” is called byeolsin-gut 별신굿, dang-gut 당굿 or daedong-gut 대동굿, each according to the region (see Hong 2016a). Gut includes complex ritual processes such as invitation, worship and departure. The processes and purposes of gut are different according to each region and shaman. For example, in the case of ogu-gut for the deceased in Seoul, its processes include purifying a spiritual place for gut, inviting spirits of the dead and speaking for them, leading the dead into the afterlife, confirming that the dead have reached the afterworld and returning to reality (see Hong 2001, 100–102).
