심바ᇰ

Middle Korean

Etymology

Hyeon Yong-jun suggested that this was composed of Middle Chinese elements 神 (MC zyin, “deity”) + 房 (MC bjang, “house; wife; concubine”), i.e. the house/wife of the divine. The Middle Chinese tone fits the pitch accent of the Middle Korean. Note also that in modern Seoul shamanism, 방 (房, bang) is used after the names of gods or rituals as a sort of suffix to denote a shaman deemed particularly skilled at venerating the god or holding the ritual;

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sìm.pàŋ/

Noun

심바ᇰ (sìmpàng)

1. shaman; priest of Korean folk religion
   • 1459, 月印釋譜/월인석보 [Worin seokbo], page 23.68:

     아비〮 平(뼈ᇰ)生(ᄉᆡᇰ)애〮 六(륙〮)波(방)羅(랑)蜜(미ᇙ〮)ᄋᆞᆯ〮 ᄒᆞᆯᄊᆡ〮 天(텬)宮(구ᇰ)에〮 快(쾡〮)樂(락〮)ᄋᆞ〮로〮 뵈〯니〮
     어〮미〮 平(뼈ᇰ)生(ᄉᆡᇰ)애〮 심바ᇰ 굿〮ᄲᅮᆫ〯 즐〮길ᄊᆡ〮 天(텬)宮(구ᇰ)에〮 몯〯 어〯더〮 보니〮

     àpí PPYÈNG.SÒYNG-áy LYÚK.PÀ.LÀ.MÍLQ-ól hòlssóy THYÈN.KWÙNG-éy KHWÁY.LÁK-ólwó pwǒyni
     émí PPYÈNG.SÒYNG-áy sìmpàng kwús-spwǔn cúlkìlssóy THYÈN.KWÙNG-éy mwǒt ěté pwòní

     Because his father practiced the Six Pāramitās all his life, he was seen enjoying pleasures in the palace of the celestials.
     Because his mother enjoyed only the ceremonies of shamans all her life, he could not see her in the palace of the celestials.

Descendants

• Jeju: 심방 (simbang)
• ⇒ Korean: 승방 (seungbang) (conflated with 僧 (seung, “Buddhist priest”))