Haneunim
Sky god of Cheondoism and Jeungsanism
Haneunim (Korean: 하느님; lit. 'Lord of Sky') or Hananim (Korean: 하나님) is the sky god in Korean mythology. In the more Buddhist-aligned parts of these religions, he is identified with Indra. In the more Taoist-aligned parts of these religions, he is identified with Okhwang Sangje (옥황상제; 玉皇上帝; lit. 'Jade Emperor'). Under that name, he is a deity in the Poncheongyo religion.
Today, Haneunim and Hananim are used as Korean translations for the English word God.
01Dangun myth
Dangun is traditionally considered to be the grandson of Hwanin, the "Heavenly King", and founder of the Korean nation. Myths similar to that of Dangun are found in Ainu and Siberian cultures.
The myth starts with prince Hwanung ("Heavenly Prince"), son of Hwanin. The prince asked his father to grant him governance over Korea. Hwanin accepted, and Hwanung was sent to Earth bearing three Heavenly Seals and accompanied by three thousand followers. The prince arrived under the sindansu (신단수; 神檀樹; lit. 'Holy Tree of Sandalwood') on the holy mountain, where he founded his holy city.
At the time of his reign, Ungnyeo, bear, and a tiger were living in a cave near the holy city, praying earnestly that their wish to become part of humankind might be fulfilled. Ungnyeo patiently endured weariness and hunger, and after twenty-one days she was transformed into a woman, while the tiger ran away for it could not tolerate the effort. The woman Ungnyeo was overjoyed, and visiting the sandalwood city she prayed that she might become the mother of a child.
Ungnyeo's wish was fulfilled, so that she became the queen and gave birth to a prince who was given the royal name of Dangun: the "Sandalwood King". Dangun reigned as the first human king of Korea, giving to his kingdom the name of Joseon, "Land of the Morning Calm", in 2333 BC.
According to some scholars, the name Dangun is related to the Turko-Mongol Tengri ("Heaven"), while the bear is a symbol of the Big Dipper (i.e. Ursa Major), itself a symbol of the supreme God in many Eurasian cultures. Later in the myth, Dangun becomes the Sansin, the "Mountain God" (metaphorically of civilising growth, prosperity).
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Haneunim”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Korea-Samseonggung 11-07406.JPG by Steve46814, CC BY-SA 3.0
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