Abstract

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This paper examines the Western vs Eastern cultural notions of gender roles in romantic relationships by contrasting how Odysseus, the Greco-Roman hero, and Jacheongbi, the heroine of Jeju Myth, navigate struggles in love. Odysseus’s passivity towards Penelope reflects the patriarchal marriage dynamic of Ancient Greece in which women are expected to provide conciliation and pleasure for men. On the other hand, Jacheongbi’s proactivity in pursuing Moondoryeong exemplifies the notion of female agency in Jeju culture that enables women to confront hardships in love despite patriarchal structures that attempt to disempower them. Jacheongbi’s proactivity, epitomical of the Jeju heroine, draws parallels of various degrees to some Greco-Roman counterparts, such as Medea and Psyche.

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Paper

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1. Differing natures between Jeju mythology and Greco-Roman mythology 

 

Korean and Greco-Roman mythology differ fundamentally in their views on the relationship between gods and humans, as well as the hierarchy between them. Korean mythology considers that the worlds of the gods and humans are not disjoined as they are in the Greco-Roman tradition. Gods do not live in a lofty heaven but rather dwell in the human world, helping humans achieve peace in their lives. In Greco-Roman mythology, however, gods reside on Mount Olympus and condescend to affect human lives, often punishing those who do not offer sufficient sacrifices. Also, a strict hierarchy is imposed between gods and humans, and even among gods; gods who assist humans are punished (E. Kim 289-290).

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In sum, the relationship between humans and gods is complementary and cooperative in Korean mythology, while vertical and disjointed in Greco-Roman mythology. Furthermore, Korean mythology considers humans as beings capable of overcoming hardship on their own, while Greco-Roman mythology sees humans as beings who require constant help and guidance from divine beings (E. Kim 290).

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The status of female characters is another area in which Korean mythology differs from the Greco-Roman. Greco-Roman myths that are widely known, such as Heracles, Theseus, and Jason, are typically centered around male heroes. Stories of goddesses ruling over matriarchal societies are restricted to the era of creation; male dominance in Greco-Roman myth emerges with the era of heroes. Although there exist many strong and proactive women in this patriarchal age of Greco-Roman mythology, their romantic endeavors with men tend to end tragically. The Greco-Roman underestimation of female agency and competency contrasts with Jeju mythology’s tendency to recognize female abilities. While the romance stories of Jeju mythology embody the Eastern motif of peace through harmonizing the self with nature and the world, those of Greco-Roman tradition embody the Western motif of struggle, in which the self asserts its independence in opposition to the established order (Yang 264). 

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Odysseus is a hero of Greco-Roman mythology known for his tactical feats in the Trojan war; Jacheongbi is a heroine of the Jeju mythology who rose to the goddess of agriculture through heroic deeds. In their respective myths, Odysseus and Jacheongbi endure hardships to pursue their love. This paper examines the similarities and differences in how Odysseus and Jacheongbi navigate struggles to achieve love. Within, it uncovers the cultural notions of gender roles underpinned by respective mythology.

 

2. Analysis of Odysseus and Jacheonbgi’s endurance to achieve love and their implication on respective cultural gender norms

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The Odyssey presents a male lover whose pursuit of love is hindered by others’ misjudgments of his authentic self, while Jacheongbi’s Myth presents a female lover whose pursuit of love is hindered by others’ imposition of stereotypes of gender roles. In The Odyssey, Penelope doubts Odysseus’s authenticity in identity. In his disguise as a beggar, Odysseus endures the anguish of being insulted by his disloyal slave but persists in his plan to reunite with Penelope. Similarly, in Jacheongbi’s Myth, Moondoryeong misinterprets Jacheongbi’s patience and resourcefulness as arrogance and an abusive personality. Under the misjudgment, Jacheongbi endures the anguish of being wrongfully rejected by Moondoryeong but remains steadfast in love with him. 

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However, while Odysseus engages Penelope passively to resolve the misjudgment of his identity in The Odyssey, Jaechngbi proactively finds a way to Moondoryeong’s home, the Heavenly Nation, to resolve the misjudgment of her character. By portraying how Odysseus and Jacheongbi persist in pursuing love in the face of being misjudged, The Odyssey and Jacheongbi’s Myth convey that love gives one the power to endure pain and suffering. Further, the difference in how Odysseus and Jacheongbi behave to resolve their respective situations of misjudgment illuminates the view of each text on gender roles in a romantic relationship.  

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The misjudgment of Odysseus’s authentic identity creates suffering, but he endures it to continue his pursuit of Penelope. When Melanthius, a disloyal goatherd, sees Odysseus disguised as a beggar, he directs a “brutal, foul abuse” at Odysseus (Homer 361). Melanthius’s use of animal imagery dehumanizes Odysseus as a “filthy swine” who “licks the pots,” “scavenging after scraps,” and “begging for crusts,” undermining his dignity by judging his ragged appearance (Homer 361). He further denigrates Odysseus’s honor by calling him “scum” and “dirt” and deserving of “no hero’s swords and cauldrons,” which particularly injures his pride as the famed hero who has returned to Ithaca after achieving great feats and struggles (Homer 361). Melanthius proceeds to even “lurch out with a heel and kick [Odysseus’s] hip.” Here, Melanthius’s use of “heel” to deliver the assault accentuates the insult, as it portrays Odysseus as a source of such great filth that even coming in contact with him would be disgraceful (Homer, 361). The fact that a slave directs such insults to his master aggravates the offense; had Odysseus been in his real form, he would not have received such oppression. As a result of such suffering, Odysseus feels great temptation to “wheel his staff and beat the scoundrel senseless” and “hoist him by the midriff, split his skull on the rocks” (Homer 362). The alliteration of s in “staff” and “scoundrel senseless” as well as harsh consonance in “skull” and “rocks” vividly highlight Odysseus’s anger and frustration at Melanthius’s insolence (Homer 362). 

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However, his decision to punish Melanthius would expose his disguise, jeopardizing his plan to kill the suitors and thus win back Penelope. Consequently, although he is deeply “torn” between his desire to punish him and to retain his disguise to protect his love for Penelope, he chooses the latter (Homer 362). He demonstrates endurance as he “stood his ground so staunchly” after receiving the blow and “steeled himself instead,” “in full control” of suppressing his desire for revenge. The consonance in “stood,” “staunchly,” and “steeled” emphasizes the composed nature of his reaction, which converts the prior violence in his heart captured in dynamic verbs “wheel,” “beat,” and “hoist” (Homer 362). By enduring the disgrace and suffering that the misjudgment of his identity causes, Odysseus manages to retain his disguise. This endurance allows him to collect the information and allies he needs in carrying out his plan to kill the suitors in surprise, and ultimately reunite with Penelope in love.

 

The misjudgment of Jacheongbi’s character creates suffering, but she endures it and remains steadfast for her love, Moondoryeong. When Moondoryeong condescends to Jacheongbi’s hut after keeping her waiting for many years, Jacheongbi feels “resentful” that she has suffered greatly for so long, while he plans to marry another woman (Sooni Kim 116). She boldly “devise[s] a trick,” pricking his delicate finger with a needle (Sooni Kim 116). “Deep read blood ooze[ing]” on his finger deeply unsettled Moondoryeong, who was just “throbbing with expectation.” Taking Jacheongbi’s character to be insolent and heartless, he “got upset and left” her without asking anything about her sufferings from the days when he was not with her (Sooni Kim, 116).

 

Moondoryeong’s ignorance of Jacheongbi’s pain from when he was gone exacerbates the feeling of abandonment she suffers from being disowned by her parents and stepmother. Her foster-mother blames Jacheongbi as a “foolish girl” and completely disheartens her, saying that she “can see why [her] parents kicked [her] out of their house” (Sooni Kim, 117). Nonetheless, having suffered these adversities, Jacheongbi remains faithful to Moondoryeong. She endures the sufferings until she may get the chance to be legitimately vindicated of her misjudged character and win back her love.

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Odysseus takes a passive role in waiting for Penelope to resolve the misjudgment of his identity. After he slaughters the suitors and meets Penelope for the first time in his real form, he expects his wife to show recognition and appreciation for him first. His “eyes fixed on the ground” suggests a sense of disengagement that requires Penelope to take the initial responsibility and effort to verify his identity (Homer 458). His body language, “waiting,” “leaning,” and “poised,” conveys his complacency stemming from the assurance that his wife will give him the welcome he deserves (Homer 458). Even when Penelope expresses her doubts, he persists in his confidence that Penelope “soon will know me better,” while not providing any actual evidence that could help her ascertain his identity (Homer 459). Whereas his passive attitude is what truly holds back Penelope from accepting him and offering him solace for “bearing twenty years of brutal struggle,” he instead calls her a “strange woman!” citing her “spirit so unbending” and “heart of iron” to criticize her lack of demonstration of trust for his identity (Homer 461). 

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Eventually, only after Penelope challenges Odysseus with the test of the olive tree bed and Odysseus passes, does the misjudgment of Odysseus’s identity disappear. Odysseus could have resolved the misjudgment sooner had he initiated the conversation about the olive tree or demonstrated his knowledge when Penelope mentions the “secret signs” at the beginning of the discourse (Homer 459). His passivity in proving the authenticity of his identity, which stems from his pride in wanting to be appreciated by his wife, delays his reuniting with Penelope in love.

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Jacheongbi takes an active role in dispelling the misjudgment of her character. Upon hearing the fairies of the Heavenly Nation lament Moondoryeong’s lovesickness for her, she begs to join them back to the Heavenly Nation. There, she reunites with Moondoryeong and persuades him to reveal their marriage to his parents, the queen and king of the heavenly nation. However, they refuse her as their daughter-in-law on account of her low birth, even calling her a “rootless girl” (Sooni Kim 120). Jacheongbi’s genuine affection for her husband empowers him to stand up for her, arguing that she was superior to him in studying the letters as well as the archery, and she was wise and bright. 

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Jacheongbi shows proactivity when she endures the trouble and mortification of being tested to prove that she is worthy to be the wife of Moondoryeong. Still unconvinced, Moondoryeong’s father says that “if any girl here [must] walk on the blade barefooted” to be deemed fitting to marry Moondoryeong. Jacheongbi calls upon the Heavenly Lord with a prayer to let down a rain to cool the blade, stressing her innocence and piety. With Heavenly Lord granting a downpour, she demonstrated great courage by walking over the blade. As she was “bleeding profusely” from a cut, she composedly “wiped the blood with her underskirt” (Sooni Kim 121). Jacheongbi’s bravery and composure dispel Moon’s parents’ misjudgement of her character on account of her low birth. Thoroughly impressed, the parents accept her as their daughter-in-law. (Sooni Kim 121). 

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Odysseus and Jacheongbi experience struggles in pursuing love from misjudgments surrounding their authentic selves; both endure the sufferings and retain their commitment to love. However, while Odysseus passively waits for Penelope to lead in lifting the misjudgment, Jacheongbi actively seeks to dispel the misjudgment about herself. This difference in the way Odysseus and Jacheongbi behave provides insight into each text’s idea about gender roles in romantic relationships. The Odyssey, which reflects the ancient Greek patriarchal conception of gender roles, depicts through Odysseus’s passivity a marriage dynamic in which women are expected to provide conciliation and pleasure for men. On the other hand, Jacheongbi’s myth depicts through Jacheongbi’s proactivity that women possess the strength to confront hardships to achieve love despite patriarchal structures that attempt to disempower them.

Jacheongbi’s myth shows the journey of a woman who became a goddess of love and agriculture through her commitment to her lover and humanity. To overcome the patriarchal structures oppressing her journey, she utilized her passion and courage.

 

3. Comparison of Jacheongbi to other female characters of Greco-Roman myth

 

As discussed above, Jacheongbi, the heroine of the Jeju myth, shares similarities with Odysseus, the hero of Greek myth, in that she patiently overcomes hardships in order to reunite with her love. What enables such a comparison between a Greek hero and a Korean heroine from the Jeju myth is the tendency to depict its female characters as strong and dynamic. Female characters in Jeju mythology display kindness and wisdom in caring for men in times of danger, but when abandoned by men, they possess a strong will to lead a path of independence. In a romantic context, they actively express their feelings instead of passively waiting to be courted (Yang 255).  

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Jacheongbi displays an impressive strength in her journey to win her love, Young Mater Moon. On the other hand, Young Mater Moon proves to be an incompetent and unreliable partner in his relationship with Jacheongbi. Jacheongbi’s superiority to Moondoryeong over character strength as well as capacities such as archery, study, and tactics draws a parallel to the goddess Medea of Greco-Roman mythology, who repeatedly surpasses her male lover, Jason, in times of crisis (Sooyeon Kim 42).

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Psyche is another female figure who can be compared to Jacheongbi, as both undergo trials posed by their future in-laws to marry the man they love. However, the two characters differ in the degree of autonomy with which they resolve their trials. While Psyche passes the tests set by Aphrodite, her future mother-in-law—such as gathering sheep's wool, separating grains, and obtaining a beauty potion from the underworld—with the help of other gods, Jacheongbi overcomes all obstacles, including crossing a bridge made of knife blades over a bed of white charcoal, entirely on her own. Additionally, Jacheongbi single-handedly resolves the upheaval in the heavenly nation to gain her in-laws' trust and obtains the sacred flower of rebirth from the flower garden of the afterlife to revive her husband, all through her efforts (Yang 268).

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Jeju mythology features many stories in which female characters accomplish heroic deeds and achieve divine status; of its numerous romantic stories, only a few female characters face tragic endings. This tendency of Jeju mythology to produce happy endings can be attributed to the female protagonists’ excellent adaptability and agency (Yang 268)
 

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References

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Homer, The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fagles, New York: Penguin, 1997.

 

Kim, Eunju. “Exploring the Implications of Early Childhood Education Through a Comparison of the Human and Educational Perspectives of Korean and Greco-Roman Mythology.” The Journal of Eco-Early Childhood Education, Vol. 13, No. 4, 2014, pp. 281–97.

 

Kim, Sooni. “Myths of Jeju Island, Jachungbi, Goddness of Love and Farming”, English Version of Myths of Jeju Island, translated by Pilsoon Song, Jeju Cultural Center, 2012, pp. 86-  133, https://jejucc.kr/pub/site/jejucc/ebook/e44/e-book.html#p=1.

 

Kim, Sooyeon. “Female Helpers of Heroic Myths: Their Roles in Literature, from “Medea” to “Land”: A Comparison of Literary Transformations in Greek and Korean Mythology, German language and literature, Vol. 48, No. 4, 2005, pp. 28-49.

 

Yang, Youngsoo. “The Feminine Principle in Jeju Mythology: A Comparison with Greek Mythology.” Comparative Korean Studies, Jan. 2011, pp. 255–87.