Inmyeonjo, a human-faced bird that appears in tomb paintings from Korea’s ancient Kingdom of Goguryeo (BCE-668), is being featured in the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Friday, celebrating the themes of peace and harmony.(Lee Sang-sub/ The Korea Herald)
Inmyeonjo (Human-faced bird)
Inmyeonjo is a human-faced bird that appears in tomb paintings from Korea’s ancient Kingdom of Goguryeo. The bird was featured in the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Friday, celebrating the themes of peace and harmony.
Soon after it was broadcast live, the bird quickly became a talking point among many South Koreans on social media, as many found the bird grotesque and even scary.
“I thought I was watching a horror movie,” said one Twitter user. “I would not have been able to forget that (horrific) face of Inmyeonjo if Kim Yuna did not appear at the end of the ceremony,” said another.
「ホラー映画を見ていると思った」と1人のツイッター利用者。「式の最後にキム・ヨナが現れなかったら、Inmyeonjo のあの (ゾッとした) 顔を忘れることはできなかっただろう」と語った。
In spite of its eerie appearance, the bird in fact was traditionally believed to live in paradise and to have the most beautiful voice by Buddhists in the Goguryeo Kingdom. They believed that only those with a pure heart would be able to listen to the bird’s songs in heaven.
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20180209000978
