전남대학교의 미신들

Believe It or Not!
 
By Um So-min, Tribune Reporter
 
School superstitions! Things or stories said and believed to be true, handed down from one generation to another. Myths, legends, they never disappear. Every university has their own. Chonnam National University (CNU) also has quite a lot of stories. Have you ever heard any of these myths around campus?

▲ View of Yongji Pond
Beautiful Yongji pond of CNU is always a popular place. Sitting near the pond on a summer day, watching lotus flowers covering the surface of the water, ducks paddling around, you find yourself relieved. What a view! And on a scorching hot day, you might even feel like jumping into the water. But when you look down at the water you might think; ‘Is this water supposed to be opaque like this?’ Now is the moment when the myth should be told; ‘You will get every disease in the world except for AIDS, if you jump into Yongji pond’. Classic, yet, ominous! However, every year a few brave students try to prove this mysterious story, half-willingly and half not.

Maybe the most common legend among universities is something with the phrase ‘then they will fall in love’. But at CNU, that kind of legend does not exist. Or, is not well known.  Still, CNU also has a superstition about love. Right beside the College of Pharmacy there is a beautiful pathway lined with trees on both sides. It seems to be perfect for a romantic date, but if a a couple walks along it, holding hands ‘they shall break up’. Is this story dependable? Well, there is only one way to find out. Try it!

▲ The Phoenix on top of the Yongbong Tower
There is a superstition about success, too. Yong-bong which means dragon (yong) and phoenix (bong), symbols of CNU, represent the flight of CNUians into the world. There is a tower on the street from the main gate called Yong-bong tower. On top of the Yongbong Tower there is a big phoenix. The phoenix is not completely fixed to the tower, and it can slowly turn in different directions. That is the point where the myth, ‘the direction or college which seems to be faced by the phoenix of the tower, would be lucky and successful’ is from. CNUians who know this story check the direction of phoenix’s head when they pass the tower out of habit. Actually, the phoenix statue is a weathervane; therefore its direction only indicates the direction of the wind. Even knowing that, they still like to check the direction.

  There are a lot of superstitions inside the campus, and each college might have their own things too. Some myths say good things will happen, and other myths are just the opposite. However, it is not the result but the telling of stories that students actually like. Superstitions are obviously a part of CNUians’ university life.
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