Korean Mythology

Au- Yeung Ho

2A 1) Au-Yeung Ho Lam

7) Chu Hui Nam

25) Wong Yin Pin

20) Pun Ka Po

To understand more about the characters and scope of Korean mythology and folklore, it is necessary to have at least a brief background in the history and geography of the country.

Nowadays, very few people believe Korean myths as a religion. Usually, they are the followers of Daejonggyo and Chondogyo, and worship Dangun as a god. There are many variations in Korean cosmology,

but they can be grouped into three categories generally.

Shamanistic creation mythology , Taoistic cosmology and Buddhist-influenced cosmology.The most“ Korean" cosmology perhaps is two shamanistic traditions, which depends a lot on local geography, for example, rivers and mountains.

Shamanistic legends consist lots of oral literature, they focus on local Mudang, which act as a shaman and a story-teller.The legends often seemed to explain the origin of some tribes and to justify the powers of the Mudang.

How were the Sun and the Moon created?

At first, there were only stars in the sky but no sun and moon. Haesik(해식 ), the older brother and Dalsun(달순 ), the younger sister were living in these early days and their mother was a poor peasant who sold rice-cake for living.

One day, their mother encountered by a tiger when she was coming back home from the village. The tiger begged her for a rice-cake in exchange for sparing her life so she gave it to the tiger then kept on walking towards another hill.

But she soon saw the tiger again and it asked for two more rice-cakes. At last, the mother gave it the cakes to retain her life. While she was walking to the third hill, the tiger appeared. And this time, it asked for four cakes but the mother did not give the tiger the cakes since she finally ran out of cakes. Then the tiger ate her immediately. The tiger devoured the mother and then took on her clothing as a disguise.

The children at home were very worried about their mother and Haesik suggested locking the door for safety and he heard a voice which was calling them from outside. Dalsun thought that it was their mother but Haesik knew the voice was different and he sensed that something was not right. So they refused to open the door.

The tiger used some of the powder left from the rice-cakes and applied it on the back of his hand and made them become white. Then it put its fingers through the space of the door and Dalsun believed that it was their mother so she opened the door at once.

Unfortunately, the tiger chased them until the children climbed up to a tree. It found an axe in their house and began to chop down the tree.

While they were hopeless, Dulsun began to pray and asked the heaven to send down a strong rope if they should be saved and a rotten rope if they were to be damned. At last, a strong rope was sent down and both of them climbed up to the heaven.

Seeing this, the tiger made a similar request. But the rope he got was rotten and he fell in a millet field.

His blood stained the millet and this is why millet stalk is said to be red.In heaven, Haesik became the sun (Haennim 햇님 ) and Dalsun became the moon (Dallim 달님 ). Nevertheless, Dalsun complained that she was afraid of the dark later.

Thus Haesik decided to stand in for her so that Dalsun could become the sun.

And that’s the Korean story of how the sun and the moon were created.

What happened when the heavenly people stopped drinking the milk of the

Earth?

The Heavenly people were pure. It is said that drinking milk from the Earth, they could speak without making sounds, act without seeing and never die while living for a long time undisturbed. When the number of people grew larger, there was not enough Earth’s milk for everyone.

People who ate these grapes began to grow teeth. They were able to see while they were no longer able to hear the heavens. Their skin became coarse and their footsteps became heavier. They were no longer pure. They gave birth to many children and their lifetime became shorter.

So what happened when they stopped drinking the milk of the Earth?

A man from Magosung (麻姑城 ) called Jiso (支巢 ) did not get Earth’s milk, even had waited a long time. Then he decided to kill himself towards a cliff. At that time, he discovered a grape vine. He ate it and got five tastes and told other people.

People in Magosung(麻姑城 ) began to blam Jiso(支巢 ) and people who had eaten the grapes were forced to leave Magosung(麻姑城 ) . People who had eaten grapes rushed into the castle which contained the source of spring that had given them Earth’s milk.

They damaged the castle. The milk began to flow everywhere and turned into the Earth.

How did Chumong manage to get a good horse from the king for him to

travel south on ?

Chumong‘ s skill improved as he became a young man. He often went hunting with the king's seven sons. Although they could catch a deer all together, Chumong could catch many.

The eldest prince had warned his father , ''Chumong is a boy with supernatural powers. It would be best to take care of him quickly, before he grows into a man with stronger powers.

Dissatisfied with such a lowly station, Chumong said to his mother '' i am the son of a god. this is no way for me to live. i will travel southwards and find a nation of my own.

So the king ordered Chumong to work as a stable boy, to see how he would react of being received such a lowly work.

One of the horses leaped over the fence with the height of two men. Chumong immediately determined that this was an exceptional horse. Secretly he stuck a needle in the horse's tongue so that it wouldn't be able to eat or drink.

Chumong took the needle from the horse's tongue and fed him very well. when the horse became healthy , he fled south until he came to a great river.

When the king saw that all horse had grew big and strong, he was very satisfied and gave him the thin, starving horse to Chumong.

The king's troops were fast on his heels, so he pointed his whip at heaven and shouted ‘ I am the son of Haemosu, the son-in- law of Habaek. Now may the gods of heaven and earth have mercy on me and send me a bridge !’

Then he struck the water with an arrow, and all the fish and turtles in the river came up to the surface and formed a bridge.

Chumong quickly rode across, even as the king's troops were approaching. when he had reached the other side, the fish and turtles dove back into the water, eventually all the king's troops on the bridge drowned.

Chumong’s mother had given him many different seeds of grain when he left, but he had lost most of the barley seed along his journey. As he was resting beneath a great tree, a pigeon came flying into view.

How did Chumong take Songyang’s kingdom away from him ?

One day, when he was out hunting, he met Songyang, the original king of the land. When Songyang asked him who he was, Chumong answered ‘I am a descendant of the god of heaven, and I am now the king of this land.'

Songyang replied angrily‘ I have been king of this land for some time now, so don’t you think it would be right for you submit me?’

Chumong said to him. ‘However, you are not descendant of gods, if you don't submit to me, heaven will surely strike you down.’

Songyang decided to try another strategy. ‘The mark of a great king is surely his skill in archery,’ he said. ‘Let's have a contest.’ He commanded his servant to draw a deer and place it at a hundred paces. Songyang took aim and fired, but he missed his target.

Then Chumong commanded his servant to place a jade ring at a hundred paces, and broke it with one arrow only.

Songyang was defeated, and Chumong commanded rain from heaven. It rained for seven days, and Songyang's capital was swept away in flood.

With the help of heaven, Chumong constructed his own palace in another seven days, and thus he founded the kingdom of Koguryeo.

The End