[우리문화신문=김슬옹 교수]  

1586년(선조 19년)에 안동에 사는 한 여인이 죽은 남편에게 한글 편지를 썼다. 그 여인은 바로 조선 중기 고성 이씨 문중의 며느리로 ‘원이 엄마’라고 한다. 그녀의 남편 이응태는 임신한 젊은 아내와 어린 아들, 부모 형제를 두고 서른한 살의 나이로 세상을 떴다.

그러자 아내인 원이 엄마는 자신의 머리카락을 잘라 만든 미투리와 한글 편지를 무덤 속에 함께 넣어 마음을 전했다. 원이 엄마의 한글 편지에는 남편과 함께 누워 나누었던 이야기부터 배 속 아이를 걱정하며 한탄하는 이야기까지 애절한 사연이 담겨 있다.

Woni’s Mother Leaves a Hangeul Letter at Her Husband’s Grave

In 1586 (the 19th year of King Seonjo’s reign), a woman living in Andong wrote a Hangeul letter to her deceased husband. This woman, known as “Woni’s Mother,” was a daughter-in-law of the Goseong Yi family in the mid-Joseon period. Her husband, Yi Eungtae, passed away at the age of 31, leaving behind his pregnant young wife, a little son, and his parents and siblings.

In her grief, Woni’s Mother cut off her hair to make a pair of straw shoes and placed it along with a heartfelt letter in the grave, conveying her emotions. The letter she wrote was filled with deep sorrow, sharing memories of conversations with her husband, as well as her anxieties and concerns about the child she was carrying. This poignant letter is a testament to the emotional depth and personal connection she felt, and it demonstrates the intimate use of Hangeul to express private feelings, even in such a sorrowful context.