"The Place of Hwarang among The Special Military Corps of Antiquity"

Despite having represented a "noble flag" of Korean nationalism in the course of the twentieth century, Hwarang may actually have been a para-religious order composed of bands of commoners or even low-born subjects acting under the command of aristocratic leaders. Since their origin, Hwarang were related to the ethnic, religious, and socio-political nature of Silla. There is no reason for doybting that they also were engaged in military operations, even if, almost surely, this was not their only and unique task. Some religious/military aspects of Hwarang make them similar to other "special corps" of antiquity. This structuralism-oriented paper tries to individuate both common and different elements shared by hwarang with other special organizations that flourished in ancient times, with particular reference to sacredness and sexual ambiguity. In this regard, the author emphasizes the character of the sacredness/alienation relationship traceable in western "special corps" and, possibly, within Hwarang, too.