Traces of Wishes

Folklore and phantoms in South Korea

Carved Korean totem poles placed at the entrance to Andong Hahoe folk village in South Korea ward off evil spirits.
Andong Hahoe folk village, folk religion in South Korea, folk ritual, jangseung, wooden totem
A closeup of an historic Korean wooden mask used in folk rituals and performances from Andong Hahoe folk village in South Korea.
An outdoor table containing a variety of fruit, fish and candy laid as a ritual offering to ancestors during a traditional ceremony in Pilbong village, South Korea.
Korean stone cairns known as 'seonangdang' at the entrance of Pilbong village in South Korea protect the inhabitants from malicious spirits.
Closeup of a carved Korean mask from the Jinju Ogwangdae, Korean folk performance.
A closeup of a wooden totem with large, carved eyes and a spiritual boundary rope (Geumjul - 금줄).
A sacred boundary rope known as a geumjul in Korean containing 1000 won notes is tied to a rock as a good luck ritual in Namhae island, South Korea.
A collection of janseung; carved wooden Korean totems in the foreground of a rice field in Andong, South Korea.
A statue of a seated Sanshin (mountain god) inside a Buddhist temple shrine in Jeonju, South Korea.