Netflix has released the second part of the Korean revenge drama, The Glory, last Friday. For those who were able to watch the show, it did not fail to meet expectations since it gave us the ending it deserved.
With the release of The Glory 2, we try to answer some of the public's questions about the show. In this round, let's answer is the shaman dead in The Glory 2? What happened to her in one of the episodes of the show? Let's begin.
What Is a Shaman?
Shamanism (or Mugyo) is part of Korean culture, which is a form of animistic religion. The believe that there are several gods who watch over human affairs and creation. The religion has been part of Korean belief longer than Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity.
Even though this is considered an ancient religion, there are still several Koreans who practice its beliefs. Koreans visit a shaman, whom they believe has been chosen by the spirits or inherited the calling as part of their bloodline.
The shaman then holds a ritual to worship their ancestors and the gods. These rituals are done to offer prayers or show gratitude for a good harvest.
Because of their tradition, a shaman holds a big influence over the locals. Often, shamans (or Mudang) are females and live in the outskirts.
She can be compared to a priestess who makes use of magic to tell fortune, to repulse evil, to effect cures, and to soothe the dead spirits.
A male shaman is known as a paksu.
Is Shamanism Illegal in Korea?
Over the years, mudangs have been looked down on by people since many have started to take advantage of their position.
While there are those who see shamanism as part of their cultural treasure, there are others who are embarrassed by it; particularly the modern Koreans.
Those who continue to practice shamanism in South Korea take part in a very flashy and noisy ritual.
In North Korea, however, shamanism is illegal. According to NPR.org, anyone practicing shamanism can be jailed, sent for reeducation or a labor camp, or worse-- executed for practicing this illegal superstition.
Is the Shaman in The Glory 2 Scamming People?
In The Glory 2, we learn about shamans from Park Yeon-Jin's (played by Lim Ji-Yeon) mother, Hong Yeong-Ae (played by Son Ji-Na), who is a firm believer and supporter of the shaman.
For years, she has been seeking the advice of the shaman (played by Yoon Jin-Sung), who has given her countless advice.
There is one interesting theory shared by kbizoom on the purpose of the shaman in the show. Apart from giving advice to Yeong-Ae, it looks like the shaman is scamming her clients.
An avid fan noticed that there are always young women in the shaman's sanctum. This is because they believe the shaman can help them solve their problems.
After consulting with the shaman, however, they talk about finding their match. This led the fan to speculate that the shaman is helping sponsors arrange expeditionary prostitution without fear of getting punished for it.
Another YouTuber echoed the sentiment and speculated that this could be how Yeong-Ae earns her fortune-- by helping the shaman arrange these matches with the help of the police.
This theory makes a lot of sense, especially since Yeong-Ae seems to have a good hold of the chief and can easily have him take care of her dirty laundry.
Although this speculation is not addressed in The Glory 2, it's very possible. The shaman could have been scamming her clients all this time with the help of Yeong-Ae.
RELATED: What Happened to Jae-Jun in The Glory 2?
What Happened to the Shaman at the End of The Glory 2?
In episode 14 of The Glory 2, Yeon-Jin accompanies her mother after spending a night in jail. Instead of going home, her mother insists on visiting the shaman's house to rest because she feels more comfortable at the sanctum.
While her mother rests inside the sanctum, the shaman performs a kut, or a trance ritual. Traditionally, this ritual is done with singing and dancing so that happiness can be invited and evil can be repelled.
There are 12 procedures involved in the ritual, each of which addresses individual gods or spirits for childbirth, property, harvest, and many more. In Yeong-Ae's case, protection over their household.
While the ritual takes place, the mudang usually goes into a trance; which is where a specific god comes and communicates to the client.
Unfortunately for Yeon-Jin, it looks like the spirit of Yoon So-Hee (played by Lee So-E) has used the mudang to send a message.
So-Hee asks Yeon-Jin if she wants the mudang to take off her clothes too, which was what happened on the night she was killed. Moon Dong-Eun (played by Song Hye-Kyo) witnesses the incident but stays calm.
The mudang starts dancing again and after a few minutes, asks Yeon-Jin about her missing nametag.
She starts dancing once again but stops after just a few seconds. She starts to sniff and talks to someone standing beside Dong-Eun, but only she can see who it is.
"What… what are you doing here? You're dead. You shouldn't be here. I knew I smelled something rotten in here. All those burns in your body, and your skull has been crushed. Why haven't you moved on yet? What do you want? Why are you still among the living? Huh?"
The mudang starts to wave the knives she's holding around her before she falls to the tatami ground.
Her daughter catches her but she seems to be in shock-- her arm reaching to the sky as she says "They're here" and "She's here right now" before dropping dead.
Her daughter tries to wake her up. When she doesn't answer, she checks her pulse but backs away. She then says: "Beoljeon! Mother's been cursed!"
Everyone surrounding the mudang scampers away in a hurry, frightened over what happened. Yeon-Jin also rushed out of the sanctum while Dong-Eun stayed put without batting an eye.
When she is left alone with the dead shaman, Dong-Eun lets out a tear as she realizes she must also free herself from her anger.
The Glory 2 is available to stream on Netflix.
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