Changni Seondol, Yongin

A seondol (standing stone), like a dolmen, is a form of megalithic culture from the Bronze Age: a natural stone, or one partly shaped from a natural stone, erected and venerated as an object of worship. Seondol stones served a variety of functions and meanings. Those raised alongside dolmens functioned as grave markers signalling a burial ground, while those erected at the entrance to a village served to protect the village, warding off evil spirits or guarding the mouth of a stream. Those set up in fields or on the low hills overlooking them carried the meaning of praying for abundance. They also served as markers of boundaries and as waymarks. Bronze Age artefacts were excavated during the investigation of the Jincheon-dong seondol in Daegu, and since seondol are generally found standing near dolmens, it can be said that seondol in Korea have been erected since the Bronze Age. The Changni Seondol stands on a hill on the eastern side of Wanjangcheon, a tributary of the Jinwicheon stream, with the stream and a broad plain spread out in front of it. The stone is made of tuff and currently leans slightly to the west. It stands about 2m high. About 30cm from its base, the stone narrows with a hollow on each side, in a form that appears to represent a phallus. Such phallus-shaped seondol carry the meaning of praying for abundance and fertility.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yongin, Gyeonggi

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료