Gut (ritual)

Gut or kut, also spelled goot (굿), is the ritual performed by Korean mu (shamans) in the tradition of Sinism (or Muism), involving offerings a sacrifices to the gods and ancestor worship, rhythmic movements, songs, oracles and prayers. The main varieties of the gut are naerim-gut, dodang-gut and ssitgim-gut.

These rites are meant to create welfare, promoting commitment between the spiritual and the mundane world. Through singing and dancing the mu begs the gods to intervene in the fortunes of men. The shaman wears a very colourful costume and normally speaks in ecstasy. During a gut a shaman changes his or her costume several times. Gut are performed through a number of ceremonial phases, gori.

A gut is a crossroads of three elements: the gods, the believers who pray to them, and the mu mediating between the two. There are different types of gut, varying from a region to another one. The unfolding and style of the Muist rite depends largely on the objective of the ceremony. The individual character and abilities of the mu bring a unique character to the respective ritual to be performed.

Many elements of the gut develop in a three-fold pattern (for example, dances repeated three times). Threefoldedness has important meaning in Sinism, for it signifies completion or fulfillment of the beginning; a three-time repetition of an action means to complete the initial intention. The meaning of this aspect is grounded in the theological concept of the trinity of being—Hwanin, Hwanung, Dangun—, the three stages of manifestation of Haneullim.

Important to the gut, and Sinism in general, is purity of both the body and the mind. It makes genuine and efficacious the communion of people and ancestors. Ritual purification of the altar takes place before the start of the gut, and again as part of the first gori through fire and water.

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