단군 신화

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Description

단군 신화(檀君神話)는 한민족 최초의 나라인 고조선의 건국 신화이다. 상고자의 《삼국유사》나 《제왕운기》 등 고려 시대에 저술된 역사서에 처음 나오며, 《조선왕조실록》, 《응제시주》 등 조선 시대 여러 문헌에도 같은 내용이 있다.

Origin & Background

Dangun is the legendary founder and first king of Gojoseon, said to have established Gojoseon in 2333 BC. The legend of Dangun appears as the earliest record in the 13th century 'Samguk Yusa', which cites Korea's lost historical record 'Gogi' and China's 'Weishi'.

The Legend

In Korean mythology, the legend of Dangun's ancestry begins with his grandfather Hwanin. Hwanin is known as the 'Lord of Heaven', and his son Hwanung wished to live on earth. Hwanin permitted Hwanung and 3,000 followers to descend to Taebaeksan, where Hwanung established Sinsi and enacted laws and morals, teaching humans various skills, medicine, and agriculture. Dangun heard the prayers of a bear and a tiger, where the bear had to eat a specific food and avoid sunlight for 100 days to become human. The tiger gave up, but the bear persevered and transformed into a woman. Later, the bear woman Ungnyeo gave birth to Dangun.

In Popular Culture

Dangun's founding date of Gojoseon is celebrated on October 3rd, known as 'Gaecheonjeol' in Korea, a national holiday. The Daejonggyo religion began as a religious holiday honoring Dangun. Dangun has emerged as a central figure in modern Korean nationalism and independence movements, and is also worshipped as a king deity in Korean shamanism.

This article is based on the Wikipedia article "Tan'gun" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia