Korean mythology & creatures

[satay_goreng]

Deities

Sang-je (Heavenly Emperor)

• Supreme ruler of the Heavens, alt: Hanuelnim, Hwanin,
• Cheonwang, Cheonjiwang (all meaning 'Heavenly Ruler')
• Often compared with the Jade Emperor (similar roles)
• Oversees humans and deities, elects humans to become new deities.

Haemosu

• Heavenly Emperor's first son and Sun Deity.
• depicted as a youth wearing crow-feathered headdress
• crows, especially three-legged crows, symbolize the sun
• carry the sword Yonggwanggeom (Sword of Dragon's Light)
• rides Oryeonggeo, chariot pulled by five dragons.
• Founder of Buyeo Kingdom
• Fathered Go-Jumong, who founded the Goguryeo Kingdom (which eventually conquered Buyeo).

Samshin-Halmang: Deity of Life.

• Once human girl, after winning the flower-blooming contest (flowers = life ) between her and the Yongwang's daughter, became the Deity of Life (and fertility)
• tasked with pregnancy and delivering of babies.
  • Yongwang's daughter became the deity of the underworld
    • takes care of the spirits of dead infants.
    • protects babies and mothers from harm, patron of midwives.
    • It is said that after midwives die, they become spirits called 'Samshin' and help Samshin-halmang.

Sanshinryeong: Gods of the mountains

• typically depicted as an old man with a white beard, accompanied by a tiger.
• usually live deep inside the mountain, but sometimes appear in Sadangs (shrines) at the base of the mountain
• listens to people's wishes and pleas for help
• mostly male, there are female examples like Mago-halmi, Sanshinryeong of the Mount Jiri.

Chilsungshin: Seven gods of the Great Dipper.

• blesses people with good luck and longevity,
• most commonly worshipped deities
• usually depicted as seven brothers
• wearing government uniform or monk's attire (sometimes referred as Seven Buddhas).
• Alt depiction: three brothers and four sisters, or seven sisters.

Gataekshin: Guardians of the house.

• bless people with good luck, offered small food in return.
• Supposedly one's family, killed in ways associated with various household materials and rooms
• became guardians of the place where they're killed. (e.g. someone died in restroom/toilet → becomes a Cheukshin - guardian of the toilet).
• protect the house's inhabitants from ghosts, diseases and premature death
• will leave when the inhabitants become too wicked or disrespect them.

Yeomra-Daewang ('King Yeomra the Great')

• Supreme ruler and fifth of the ten Kings of the underworld (Shi-wang)
• judge the sins of the deceased and decide their punishment
• first person to have faced death (as in the story of Yama in Hindu Mythology. Yeom-ra is Korean pronounciation of Yama).
• has many powers, including shapeshifting, reviving dead people, etc.

Yongwang (Dragon Lord)

• Dragons living in lakes, rivers and seas.
• rulers of the aquatic animals
• tasked with controlling the weather (important to farmers).
• can take human forms and mate with humans.
  • it's thought that Wang Geon, the warlord who founded the Goryeo dynasty, was the grandson of the Western sea's Yongwang.

Mireuk and Bucheo: Maitreya and Buddha.

• worshipped by Mudangs and common people.

Creatures:Yogwe (Monsters) and Gwishin (ghosts)

Gumiho (구미호)

• literal nine-tailed fox (Korean version of the Kitsune)
• often depicted as female/shapeshift into a beautiful woman.
• often portrayed as seductive and cunning
• devour human liver to gain power
• if able to stay away from eating human flesh for a thousand days, can stay human.
• common depiction - beautiful girl cursed to become this creature, unable to find love without entrapment

Bulgasari (불가사리)

• legendary creature that feeds on nightmare.
• has body of a bear, buffalo's eyes, elephant's nose and tiger's claws.
• name meaning - 'can't be killed'
• the monster's metal hide renders any metal weapon useless.
• toughness and hard-to-kill nature have prompted Koreans to call starfish 'Bulgasari'
  • regeneration and hard-to-kill nature resembles that of the mythical monster
• eats metal and turn it into its hide.
• weakness = fire

Samjoko (삼족오)

• three-legged crow
• symbol of the sun and power
• believed to live within the sun - assist in its daily journey.

Haechi/Haetae (해태/해태)

• A lion-dog with a horn, covered in armor-like scales
• known for ability to distinguish between good and evil
• considered a guardian against fire and disasters/evil omen.

Gwishin (귀신)

• Korean ghosts
• almost always female (long black hair, white funeral clothes)
• often depicted as those died with unfinished business, unable to pass on to the afterlife.
  • virgin ghost (처녀귀신 - cheonyeo gwisin).
    • legend maybe created to strongly encourage young women to get married.
  • water ghost (물귀신 | mulgwisin).
    • people who died a lonely death by drowning in large bodies

Chollima (천리마)

• A supernatural white horse capable of great speed and flight, first mentioned during the Koryo period.

Moon Rabbit/Daltokki (달토끼)

• Also known as the jade rabbit
• adopted from Chinese myth.
• legend - found by looking at the formations of the moon’s craters.
• important symbol of Chuseok, supposedly pounding its pestle to get rice cake

Dokkaebi (도깨비)

• known for playful or sometimes mischievous interactions with humans.
• often depicted as goblins or trolls with supernatural abilities
• created from objects discarded after stained with human blood
• may carry magical object (방마기 - bangmagi)

Jeosung Saja (저승사자)

• is Korean grim reaper.
• guide those who passed away into the afterlife.
• Traditional appearance - a black hanbok coupled with a black hat.

Inmyeonjo (인면조):

• A sacred bird that connects the sky and the land
• often depicted in ancient tomb murals.

Dragon - Yong/Ryong/Mireu (용/룡/미르)

• largely influenced by Chinese dragon
• sport long beard and carry an orb/pearl called 여의주 (yeouiju).
• seen as a good-natured creature related to farming and especially water.
• often also referred as imugi if they didn't have heir pearl
  • Gyeryong (계룡) alt: Korean cockatrice or chicken dragon.
    • chariot-pulling beasts for important legendary figures in Korea or for parents of legendary heroes

Imugi/Giant (sea) serpents (이무기)

• live in water
• become dragons (which have the ability to fly and control the weather).
• sometimes cause harm to people.
• alt names: ishimi (이시미), miri (미리), yeongno (영노), gangcheori (강철이), kkwangcheori (꽝철이), kkangcheori (깡철이), bari (바리), hweryong (훼룡), or iryong (이룡)
  • Gangcheori (억년)
    • associated with bringing drought and storms (cause disasters)

Extra notes/reference:

Korean Mythology
90 Day Korean

Useful for:

Stories set in Korean mythology
Gu Family Book
The Haunted Palace
Korean Odyssey
Goblin
Lovers of the Red Sky