이 글은 이홍기 편 ?조선전설집?(1944)의 존재 양상을 자세히 알리고,이것이 한국 최초의 우리말 전설집이라는 사실을 주장한 논문이다. 그간에는 최상수의 ?한국민간전설집?(1958)을 최초 전설집이라고 인식해왔는데 그렇지 않다는 새로운 주장을 펼쳤다. 최상수의 것에 비해 그 완성도가 떨어지기는 하지만 우리나라 사람이 우리말로 엮은 최초의 전설집인 것이 분명하며, 도별로 엮은 점, 초기의 구비문학 연구자 고정옥에게 적극 활용된 것도 명백한 사실임을 밝혔다. 이홍기의 전설집은 모두 167편의 전설을 싣고 있으며, 지역별로 자료를 배열하고 있다. 경기도 10편, 충청도 7편, 전라도 6편, 경상도 10편, 황해도 8편, 평안도 9편, 강원도 5편, 함경도 11편이다. 수록 전설의 유형을 분류한 결과, 지명(地名19편), 암석(8편), 고승(4편), 원령(怨靈4편), 씨족시조(3편), 총묘(塚墓3편), 불사연기(佛寺緣起3편), 용(3편), 수업(修業3편), 지소(池沼2편), 열녀(2편), 불상(佛像2편), 힘내기(힘경쟁담 2편), 보은형(2편), 용천(湧泉1편), 미혈(米穴쌀나오는 구멍 1편), 정자(亭子1편), 임진왜란(1편), 풍수(風水1편), 의견(義犬1편), 효자(1편), 기타(1편)이었다. 가장 많은 것이 지명전설(19), 그 다음이 암석전설(8)임을 알 수 있었다. 각각 전체의 28퍼센트, 12퍼센트를 차지한다. 이 같은 양상은 최상수의 책에 실린 전설의 유형 분류 결과와 유사하여 흥미롭다. 다른 자료집(북한에서 간행한 설화집 및 최상수가 펴낸 전설집)과 비교한 결과, 최상수의 전설집에는 없는 전설들이 이 전설집에 실려 있었다. 서로 중복되어 실려있는 자료라 할지라도 차이가 있었다.

This paper aims to look into what Joseonjeonseoljip (1944), the anthology of Korean folklore compiled and edited by Lee Hong-gi, consists of and to establish the fact that it is Korea`s first Legends anthology written in Korean. A new claim is proposed against the Anthology of Korean Legends (1958) by Choi Sang-su that it is not the first anthology. Although compromising the degree of perfection, the collection is assuredly the first Legends anthology written in Korean and edited by a Korean, characterized by being compiled provincially and being actively quoted by Ko Jeong-ok, the first-generation scholar of oral literature. This book contains 167 stories in total, arranging them under the provincial titles: 10 stories for Gyeonggido, 7 for Chungcheongdo, 6 for Jeollado, 10 for Gyeongsangdo, 8 for Hwanghaedo, 9 for Pyeongando, 5 for Gangwondo, and 11 for Hamgyeongdo. To classify the types of folklore covered, there are 19 stories about geographical names, 8 about rocks, 4 about old monks, 4 about spirits with enmity, 3 about clan`s ancestors, 3 about graves, 3 about building a buddhistic temple, 3 about dragons, 3 about apprenticeship, 2 about bodies of water, 2 about fidelity, 2 about buddhistic statue, 2 about wrestling, 2 about gratitude, 1 about fountain, 1 about a hole for rice, 1 about pavilion, 1 about Imjin War, 1 about feng shui, 1 about a faithful dog, 1 about a filial pious son, and the rest. Legends about geography rank first, followed by those about rocks, which account for 28 percent and 12 percent respectively. This is interesting in that the classification is similar to that of Choi Sang-su. When compared with other collections such as the folklore anthology published in North Korea and that of Choi Sang-su, this book introduces more stories. Even the overlapped stories differ in textual terms. First of all, they differ in size as Lee`s stories are much longer. Secondly, Lee`s stories use more paragraphs. All these suggest that Lee and Choi very likely used different sources when they compiled their materials. The North Korean version turned out to copy virtually everything of Lee`s except that such surrealistic, much too fantastic, or superstitious elements as might contradict the North Korean ideology have been eliminated. This is a pioneering study of Lee Hong-gi`s Joseonjeonseoljip. Provided what the researcher claims in this study is valid, certain statements about ``the first folklore anthology`` ought to be corrected. Additionally, those issues should also be addressed properly such as who on earth Lee Hong-gi the compiler was and what value the stories themselves might retain.