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.

For instance, when a son of a family passed a civil service examination called gwageo, a sotdae was set up in the yard.

[5] Sotdae were generally set up alone, but sometimes, along with jangseung (Korean totem poles), doltap (돌탑, a pagoda built with stone) or sinmok (신목, sacred trees).

[4] Later, as a concept of feng shui prevailed and values of success and honour became important, its meaning seemed to be differentiated from an object of worship to a totem for abundant harvest.

[8] A similar record was found in a book titled Dongguksesigi (동국세시기, 東國歲時記), which said that 12 wooden poles were set up to welcome a god on February 2 in Jeju island.

[10] Also Dangun 's father, Hwanung, descended from the heaven to the top of a tree, Sindansu (신단수, 神壇樹) in Korea's founding myth.

[12] Sotdae birds may be wild geese, gulls, ibises, Korean magpies or crows, but most commonly they are ducks.

Because of the relation to water, ducks were regarded to have an ability to control rain and thunder, to survive in the floods and to protect a village from fire.

[3][8][9] Relating to this, a scholar named Lee Gyubo (이규보, 李奎報 1168–1241) wrote a following phrase in his garland called Donggukisanggukjip (동국이상국집, 東國李相國集: Collected works of Minister Yi of Korea): "Because of the rain for 7 days in a row, the capital of Songyang was submerged.

People made sotdae erected toward south to wish moderate weather for farming or let it direct north to bring rain.