Sotdae

Sotdae
Sotdae
Korean name
Hangul	솟대
Revised Romanization	sotdae
McCune–Reischauer	sottae

A sotdae (Korean pronunciation: [sot.t͈ɛ]) is a tall wooden pole or stone pillar with a carved bird on its top, built for the purpose of folk belief in Korea.^[1][2][3] Like jangseung, wooden totem poles with a sculptured human face, it was usually erected near the entrance of a village to ward off evil spirits as well as to represent villagers' wishes for prosperity and well-being.^[3][4] Later, it was also built as a celebratory or commemorative symbol. For instance, when a son of a family passed a civil service examination called gwageo, a sotdae was set up in the yard.^[4] In that case, it was colored in orange and topped with a blue dragon.^[5]