No. 010
Jeoseung saja (messenger of the underworld)
저승사자 (jeoseung-saja)
The messenger who takes the soul of the dead to the underworld. In shamanic rites it appears as a spiteful low-ranking soldier; the familiar black coat and gat hat is an image fixed by television drama.
Names
- Korean
- 저승사자
- Hanja
- No hanja attested in a source
- Revised Romanization
- jeoseung-saja
- English
- Jeoseung saja (messenger of the underworld)
Appearance
Since the drama, it is pictured in a black overcoat and gat with a pale face. In rites it wears the garb of a low-ranking Joseon constable.
Abilities
- Leads the dead before the Ten Kings of the underworld.
Weaknesses
- Right after a death, a messenger's meal is set outside the gate and money is offered to placate it; it is served in the yard, never let into the house.
Attestations
-
Encyclopedia of Korean Culture Encyclopedia
What it says: The jeoseung saja article: the messenger's meal, how its drama image differs from its ritual one, how many messengers come, and the messenger episodes of Seoul and Hwanghae rites.
-
Encyclopedia of Korean Folklore and Traditional Culture Encyclopedia
What it says: The jeoseung saja article, comparing the image created by the drama Jeonseol-ui gohyang with the soldier figure of the rites.
Interpretation and notes
Three messengers are thought to come for the dead, as the three bowls of rice, three pairs of straw shoes and three sets of spoons laid out in the Hwanghae rite show.
The encyclopedia headword is written 저승使者: only saja (使者) is Sino-Korean; jeoseung is a native word.