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Tangum Myth


Although during this age all kinds of natural objects were believed to have their own sprits , our ancestors revered Heaven the most based on the belief that heaven ruled all of Nature , including humankind. It is natural for primitive societies to believe that Heaven presides over the bountifulness or dearth of the harvest. but our people*s hope for peace and enlightenment was also included in this belief system.

We can find a specific case which reveals our admiration for and belief in Heaven in the founding myth of our country , the Tangun myth.

Because one can detect the value system and world vies of any people in their foundation myth, we can discover our ancestors beliefs in the Tangun myth. A synopsis of the Tangun myth follows;

In a very ancient time , Hwanin(god of heaven) discovered that one of his sons(Hwanung) desired to live on earth as a human being. Looking down and surveying the earth , Hwanin found the T*aebaek Mountain in the east to be the place that would most benefit mankind. Hwanin, giving the heavenly signet to the Prince, selected 3000 heavenly helpers to escort Prince Hwanung and sent them to lofty Mount T*aebaek near Shindansu(a divine later tree).

Upon arrival , Hwanung built Shinshi(literally , "Divine City") and led the sprits that controlled the wind , rain, and clouds. Governing over crops, disease and punishments , Hwanung enlightened the human world with the principles of Heaven. One day a bear and tiger came to Hwanung and expressed their desire to become humans. So Hwanung ordered them to pray in a dark cave for one hundred days, eating only garlic and mugwort. While the quick-tempered tiger could not stand the trial , the bear successfully endured the difficulty and became a woman. Hwanung married the woman and a son named Tangun Wanggom was born.

"Tangun" means presider of ancestral rituals , while "Wanggom" means king. From these two words , we can understand that in this period the responsibilities of king and ancestral worship, based on Shamanism, were jointly held by a single person . What does the Tangun myth tell us about our ancestor*s view of life and the world?

First , the fundamental thought of the Tangun myth consist of humanism. In the ideal of Hongik Ingan - maximizing the welfare of humanity - we can find notions of altruism , equal rights and philanthropy.

Second , The Tangun myth contains the basic goal of creating a utopia by making the heavenly and earthly worlds harmonious. To enlighten the world of heavenly principles, in short, is to create another heaven on earth.

Third, the Tangun myth has helped raise our people*s national consciousness and unify our race into a single entity. Although repeatedly suffering from external invasion, Koreans have emerged victorious, maintaining their national identity and feeling of independence largely sue to the Tangun myth.