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Korean shamans (video)

DonJunbar

Thinker
D
Joined
Apr 2, 2007
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Over here in Korea, there are many, many different types of fortune tellers. I even discovered that phrenology is still very much alive here, with practitioners wandering the streets offering their services to the gullible (they of course have a very different "head map" than traditional phrenology to suit the Korean skull).

The most typical type of mediums claim that they get their powers from some sort of spiritual possession. In order to demonstrate these powers, they do a very ritualised dance in which they stand on a special blade intended for agricultural purposes.

Here is a picture of the blades.
77220.jpg


And here is a very unconvincing picture of someone standing on the blades.
76609_0.55411400.JPG


This is how it seems to be usually done, on a raised pedestal with two poles on either side so the medium can ease themselves onto the blades.
maldoror11_215489_2%5B291228%5D.JPG


There are always two blades, which I think might be important.
471a46c396da7&filename=%EC%9E%91%EB%91%901.AVI_000033866.jpg


At first I thought they claimed that the spiritual possession gave them invulnerability, but it seems more likely they claim levitation.

Here is a fairly long video (not compatible with Firefox) where they show the whole ritual, along with a bunch more play with a blade to titillate.

The standing-on-blades ritual starts around the 4-minute mark.
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=5620034588593879218&q=무당+작두&ei=iux9SO3wJJCAwgOWmIHJCA&hl=en

Obviously I know it's fake, but I can't explain how it's done. My wife thinks the blades just aren't sharp, but I think that's just too dumb, and maybe it's a pressure trick like lying on a bed of nails. But it could be something even simpler as far as I know.

I'm curious if anyone on here knows exactly how it's done, or has a better theory, and I'm also curious if this trick has a longer history than Koreans are aware, or if it's unique to only one country (which I highly doubt).

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing some sensible opinions on it. This is a central claim of these people, and if it is properly debunked, they would lose a lot of believers.
 
Tough skin, and careful movement. Assuming they're as sharp as a used scythe, it's not razor sharp. Just sharp. Er... more common equivalent, paper cutter?
 
Even if they're slowly lowering themselves onto those blades it's still a pretty dangerous thing to do. Surely if they slipped and cut themselves they would lose believers immediately. Definitely not a safe way to gather a crowd. :nope:
 
dustbunny said:
Even if they're slowly lowering themselves onto those blades it's still a pretty dangerous thing to do. Surely if they slipped and cut themselves they would lose believers immediately. Definitely not a safe way to gather a crowd. :nope:
Click to expand...

Apparently if they bleed at all, they're declared fake and can no longer claim to be mediums.
 
I've walked on broken glass without being all that concerned. My calluses are a lot thinner these days, but... I'm not seeing this as a horrible challenge. Especially if one can practice beforehand.
 
DonJunbar said:
Apparently if they bleed at all, they're declared fake and can no longer claim to be mediums.
Click to expand...


It seems even crazier then to do it in the first place. It would be so easy for them to slip up. When you think of all the strange ways people try to prove they're mediums this is definitely at the top. Interesting thread.
 
DonJunbar said:
Obviously I know it's fake, but I can't explain how it's done. My wife thinks the blades just aren't sharp, but I think that's just too dumb, and maybe it's a pressure trick like lying on a bed of nails. But it could be something even simpler as far as I know.
Click to expand...

The only thing fake about it is the invocation of supernatural powers.
Why would it be dumb that the blades are not very sharp? They obviously are not.
It also depends on pressure distribution. Two blades are used for this very reason, as are the poles to assist weight distribution.
 
The pictures remember me of a biology class, where a snail was put on a razorblade, nicely illustrated in these photographs:

ooo.weichtiere.at/english/gastropoda/terrestrial/escargot/knife_lucorum.html
(change the three o's up front into w's).

My teacher then explained it was due to the mucus, the toughness of the snail's 'sole' and the rippling motion (a snail didn't really slide) that the critter was able to move alongside the sharp edge of the blade.

This is an interesting part about a knive's pressure and cutting:

ooo.flavoralchemy.com/journal/finger-slayer.html

(Like kerikiwi said) The shaman has already devided is weight onto two blades, (it might look more dangerous two blades, but it's probably much more save) and doesn't make any sliding movement alongside the knive's edge. I'm not sure how the agricultural blades are used, but I'm guessing those don't need to be as sharp as a razorblade, being more blunt they probably can't give enough pressure on the feet of the shaman to fracture his skin.
 
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For all you people who want to do a dangerous experiment try this.
Take one ordinary kitchen knife, the sort you cut vegetables with. Use a knife with a straight blade. Press it hard against your skin (maybe at the back of your hand).

Result: Nothing. No blood no, wounds.

Safety notes.
Do not do this anywhere near big veins.
Do not do this anywhere where a cut might handicap you.
Do not do if you are under 18 years old.
 
Thanks for your answers. I think I understand the main principles behind this trick. It doesn't sound all that far removed from the old bed of nails trick.
 
The short blades are "kama" (in Japanese), a general purpose sickle blade for weeding, grass hacking and lopping small branches

see wwwDOTgreenharvestDOTcomDOTau/tools/pruning_tools_prod DOT html

I can't find out about the big knives ... they look a lot like hand tools for chopping turnips ot cleaving melons.
 
The Korean name for the blade is "jakdu."

I learnt a bit more history about these fortune-tellers, who are called mudang in Korean. They actually have a history of being treated very badly because they are possessed by evil spirits. Yeah, I'm not sure how that's supposed to work, but it sounds like a lousy job.

There is a higher class of fortune-tellers who Koreans consult when they want to get married, choose a wedding date, or even choose a name for their child. They don't have to perform any kind of "supernatural" demonstration of their powers, either.
 
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