귀문(龜文)의 배경(背景) 소고(小考)

This study is on the expressive will of human beings by way of examining turtle patterns. Turtle represents spiritual, incantatory implications and the idea1s of long life and of fortune. From ancient to the present the turtle patterns have expressed various kinds of arts on these concepts. The researchs on the examples of turtle patterns are summed up as follows. 1. Single form of turtle shows a turtle wrapped by snakes and is generally regarded as a symbol of long life with respect to the mysteries of the Tao. 2. HyunMu type is of an imaginary animal which is wrapped by snakes. 3. Turtle shell type is hexagon accumulated 1ike successive bee-hives.