  Chiral properties of positive and negative parity nucleons, N and N*$, are
studied from the viewpoint of chiral symmetry. Two possible ways to assign
chiral transformations to the negative parity nucleon are considered. Using
linear sigma models based on the two chiral realizations, theoretical as well
as phenomenological consequences of the two different assignments are
investigated. We find that the nucleon mass in the chiral restored phase is the
key quantity to determine the meson-nucleon couplings and the axial charges of
nucleons. We also discuss the role of chiral symmetry breaking in the mass
splitting of N and N* in the two sigma models.
