이집트 민담 텍스트를 통해 본 이집트인의 의식구조 연구 -성(性), 사회생활, 종교 모티프를 중심으로- = A Study on the Egyptians` Way of Thinking through the Texts of Egyptian Folk Tales: Concentrating on the Motifs of Sex, Social Life, and Religion

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This thesis is over aspects of the Egyptians` way of thinking through motifs of sex, social life and religion represented in Egyptian folk tales. Furthermore, the research is intended to understand how much sacredness is related with profaneness or secularity in the Egyptian people`s minds. In this study, 22 stories relevant to the motifs among Egyptian folk tales, were selected and analyzed. Firstly, it seems that most folk tales show common people`s intents to quench their primitive sexual desires. Islam does not limit sexual control but it showed openness toward sexual instinct. This is proved in folk tales that contains various anecdotes related with sex, such as expressing women`s sensual beauty, adultery, and believer`s moral deviation due to carnal desire. Moreover, some tales imply images of ancient goddess and virgins representing the folks` naive wishes for flourishing of posterity. Secondly, as for the matter of women`s position concerning the motif of social life in Egyptian folk tales, there is a big gap between the real life of women and the ideal creeds of Islam on women, which defend women`s rights almost equal with men`s. Women characters in most of the stories are subjected to severe oppression and discrimination by deep rooted patriarchal society. In addition, women are blamed for their unfaithfulness and deceitfulness. Meanwhile, many stories hint that men deserve admiration and are characterized by their faithfulness and trustworthiness. This means that the Egyptian society has maintained its secular position by emphasizing men`s superiority to women. Thirdly, in relation to the motif of religion, Egyptian folk tales represent various aspects of folklore faith opposite to Islam. Among the noteworthy folk beliefs connected with popular customs, there are worship of saints, belief of jinn, and practice of shaman ritual. The folk tales suggest that many people have earnest desire for ``baraka(blessing)`` and good fortune through respected saints. Also, the tales show the people`s belief of jinn`s interfering in human life, and of shaman`s role in resolving people`s spiritual or psychological problems. In addition, some stories suggest the long lasting conflict between the Muslims and the Copts in Egyptian society. In conclusion, though most of them are Muslim, Egyptian people are not always in pursuit of Islamic holy values, but they keep balanced life between religious holiness and secularity.