Earticle

This paper is written to provide a comparative analysis of Myths of national founding fathers in East Asian countries. First. I extract the narrative features common to both Jumong and Yuri myths. Then I investigate how these two are similar to and different from such myths from other East Asian countries. The myths I consider additionally in the present study include Vietnam's <Hongbangsi-Jeon>. Thailand's <Prarueng>, Japan's <Ohokuninushi>, and <Theseus> from Europe. Also studied are oral materials such as Korea's <Jesuk Bonpuri> and <Chogong Bonpuri> and Japan's <Omoimatzugane>. Since the myths of national founding fathers are of the hero type, I propose to analyze the myths using the six stages of the life cycle : birth, childhood, separation from their family, foundation of the nation, enthronement and achievement, and death and shrine. First, I find that Jumong and Yuri myths both are typical of the Sky father-Earth mother type and, at the same time, possess distinctive features that separate one from the other. This is because they exhibit different characteristics in each of the six stages. Next. I examine how the narrative features common to the two myths are compared with those of the myths from other neighboring countries. All of the six stages can be found in East Asian myths, except for the last 'death and shrine' stage. As such, Jumong and Yuri myths which are composed of the six stages are considered to models.

Dongba Painting <Shen Lu Tu(Road to Heaven(神路圖)> is a kind of long scroll paintings used for funeral and "releasing the souls of the departed" rituals in the Dongba religion of the Naxi people. It describe a long journey on which the souls of the departed have to be tortured in every possible way in hell, before being reincarnated as a man again, and finally joining the world of gods and the 33 storeys of heaven. The kind of painting by academic circles from home and abroad. During the ritual, the Dongba flamen spread the painting <The Road to Heaven(神路圖)>and chant the words of the scripture entitled <Guiding the souls of the departed on the Road to Heaven> standing beside it in order to release the souls of the departed. This <Road to Heaven(近神之路)>[during the Qing dynasty] is kept at the Lijiang Dongba Cultural Museum(麗江東巴文化博物館). It is 14.35 meters long and 0.34 meters wide, painted on white cotton cloth treated with starch. More than 410 demons, deities, Dongba specialists and over 100 varied images of animals can be found in this painting, It show peoples a mysteriousworld of demons and deities, it could therefore be regarded as a great work of ancient religious culture. An another painting <Road to Heaven(神路圖)>[during the Qing dynasty] is also a kind of long scroll paintings used for funeral and is kept at Harvard University Yanjing Library. Through this study we could find the scroll painting of Lijiang Dongba Cultural Museum is more beautiful and have more ancient Dongba painting tradition than the painting scroll of Harvard University Yanjing Library. There are many myths. cosmos universal views, life culture and Donga culture of Naxi trive in the scroll painting <road to Heaven>. oviparity story,tree production story and mother production story is producted in the three universal culture. In Dongba painting <Road to Heaven> there are multi-origin tradition for example Tibetan Buddism. Bon Religion and Daoism. Various facts including Garuda and white elephant of <Road to Heaven> Dongba scroll painting show us it have many Bon religion tradition. In near future, the relationship of between Dongba religion and Bon religion will be searched with more detail and certainty.