Have you ever worried about your future? Like the old saying, ‘No man can tell what future brings forth’, people can’t predict the future, so they feel anxiety about their uncertain futures. So, people have devised many methods for reading the future. In this article, I will introduce ‘physiognomy’ that investigates fate by looking at a person's face and ‘marital compatibility’ that identifies coexistence and incompatibility through the birth of groom and bride. I will introduce physiognomy and marital harmony through two historical films which make a good use of two materials.
1. The Face Reader
The movie is a story about the genius physiognomist, “Kim Nae-kyung”, who gets caught in a huge incident called ‘Gyeyujeongnan'. ‘Gyeyujeongnan’ is an incident when Prince Suyang (King Sejo) took the throne of “Danjong”, his nephew. It is interesting that the story of the movie weaves ‘Gyeyujeongnan’, a historical event, and the story of physiognomy together. The scenes that introduce the various characters' physiognomy is the element added to the fun of the movie.
In the movie, “Kim Nae-kyung”, the main character, looks at Prince Suyang’s face and says “his face seems like a cruel wolf that tore at another's neck and never let go.” What does Prince Suyang’s real face look like? According to a video clip that introduces King Sejo's face in "The Day of History Journal", Sejo's image is regarded as a beautiful and neat image. He has graceful features with slim and soft eyes, but his bulging earflap means that his inner side is like steel. Also, his soft but plump chin means that he has a strong desire. In sum, the person who has such a face are usually mild, but he never concedes to others when his desire is so strong.
Kim Nae-kyung, the main character, can easily guess a person's destiny by looking at their face. However, a person can’t actually be judged from only seeing their face. It is said that he not only looks at the face, but also describes voice, speech, appearance, and manners.
2. The Princess and the Matchmaker
This movie is about the wedding of a princess “Song Hwa”. When the nation suffers from severe drought, the king, who believed that only the marriage of Princess Song Hwa-joo would resolve the drought, decides to find a husband for the princess. So, the king gives the mission to the most talented fortune teller in Joseon to find a husband who is best suited to Princess Song Hwa. After hearing this fact, Princess Song Hwa-joo goes out of the palace and searches for a mate.
In the movie, there are several scenes in which the movie tries to solve marital compatibility. Marital harmony is identified by comparison to the bride and groom’s saju and their five elements. Saju means the date of birth, and the five elements means water, wood, fire, soil, and iron.
In fact, the royal family of the Joseon has a relationship to avoid when they find a spouse. Kings of the Joseon avoided those who have the family name 'Kim' when they choose a Queen. This is because the Joseon kings’ family name, “Lee”, was incompatible with 'Kim'. 'Lee' means tree, 'Kim' means iron. As iron is a relationship that would harm trees, the royal family of the Joseon thought 'Kim' could hurt 'Lee'. So, they were wary of 'Kim'.
Through these two movies, I have talked about physiognomy and marital harmony. These days, many people have been used to physiognomy and marital harmony. It will be a very unique experience because of knowing your own destiny. I recommend two activities to the students who have an interest in these after reading the article. However, this does not completely determine your fate, I hope you just enjoy it as fun instead of relying on it too much. < Copyright © The Gachon Herald All rights reserved > |