Gawp (
Jeju: ᄀᆞᆸ) is a cosmological concept in
Jeju Islandshamanism referring to the divide between heaven and earth, humans and non-humans, and the living and the dead.[1]
In the
Jeju creation myth, a gawp between heaven and earth is said to be created from the original mingled state of the universe. Later, the god Daebyeol-wang creates a gawp between humans and non-humans when he numbs the tongues of animals, plants, and rocks so that they can no longer speak, and physically separates the living from the dead.[1]
In the
Buldo-maji, a series of rituals held for fertility gods,
shamans create a gawp between Saengbul-halmang, the goddess of childbirth and patron of young children, and Gusamseung-halmang, the goddess of dead children who send illnesses to kill babies and bring them under her dominion.[2]
In the
Durin-gut, a ritual held to cure mental illnesses, shamans endeavor to create a gawp between the human patient and the malevolent dokkaebi that has entered their body and is responsible for the insanity.[3]
고광민 (Ko Kwang-min); 강정식 (Kang Jeong-sik) (2006). National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (ed.).
Jeju-do Chuneun-gut 제주도 추는굿 [The Dancing Ritual of Jeju Island]. Pia.
ISBN89-86148-28-5. Retrieved July 28, 2020.