{"id":5376,"date":"2026-04-27T10:37:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T10:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/hwanung\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:33:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:33:40","slug":"hwanung","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/hwanung\/","title":{"rendered":"Hwanung"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"5376\" class=\"elementor elementor-5376 elementor-2113 elementor-bc-flex-widget\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10fdade e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"10fdade\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herohlft0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herohlft0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3ceb64 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c3ceb64\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96ae5e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"96ae5e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Hwanung, God of the Korean Tradition<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e45238a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e45238a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Hwanung is the god of heaven and earth in Korean <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of the transmitted divine narratives of a culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">mythology<\/span>, son of the supreme sky god Haneul-nim. In the Samguk yusa he is described as a being who descended to earth in order to found a realm. His veneration embodies the mediation between cosmic and earthly forces.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klsbdg01 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klsbdg01\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klshtm01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"klshtm01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"iwg-pill-row\"><span class=\"iwg-klasse-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"God \/ goddess: Personified highest power within the pantheon of a culture, with clear areas of responsibility: forces of nature, fate, war, fertility. Venerated through cults, sacrifices and temple institutions.\">God<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/korea\/\" class=\"iwg-kultur-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Korean world of gods, shamans and folk spirits.\">Korea<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/high-deities\/\" class=\"iwg-tradition-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Highest gods of a pantheon: cosmic sovereignty, creator or ruler aspect.\">High Deity<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f74855 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3f74855\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c30362 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"1c30362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;Es wurden keine \\u00dcberschriften auf dieser Seite gefunden.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;bullets&quot;,&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;fas fa-circle&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;,&quot;rendered_tag&quot;:&quot;&lt;svg class=\\&quot;e-font-icon-svg e-fas-circle\\&quot; viewBox=\\&quot;0 0 512 512\\&quot; xmlns=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.w3.org\\\/2000\\\/svg\\&quot;&gt;&lt;path d=\\&quot;M256 8C119 8 8 119 8 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S393 8 256 8z\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/path&gt;&lt;\\\/svg&gt;&quot;},&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herorght0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herorght0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-heroimg00 iwg-hero-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"heroimg00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_korea_hwanung-683x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-5377\" alt=\"Hwanung - gods from the Korean tradition, historical-illustrative\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_korea_hwanung-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_korea_hwanung-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_korea_hwanung-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_korea_hwanung.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32917199 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"32917199\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26e916cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"26e916cb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-253a40d4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"253a40d4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1200c304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1200c304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Hwanung<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11758e7f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"11758e7f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Hwanung is portrayed as a celestial being who descended to earth at the request of a tiger and a bear in order to civilize it. He united with the bear goddess Ungnyeo and thus fathered Dangun, the founder of Gojoseon.<\/p><p>Hwanung appears as a god of cultivation, civilization and supernatural knowledge. His myths recount the bringing of cosmic knowledge to earth and the establishment of divine order among humans. In contrast to purely celestial gods, Hwanung exercises active rule over earthly realms.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-159dcf9a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"159dcf9a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48cee66f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"48cee66f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">At a Glance: Hwanung<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f50d82c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f50d82c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Hwanung <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An edifying narrative, usually about the lives of saints.\" tabindex=\"0\">legend<\/span> is transmitted in the Samguk yusa of the monk Iryon (1281), but probably arose from older proto-Korean sources. The story of the sky god&#8217;s descent and his union with the bear is regionally widespread in Korea.<\/p><p>James H. Grayson mentions Hwanung in his religious history of Korea as a central figure of mediation between heaven and earth. His veneration is less personalized than the Dangun veneration, yet theologically fundamental to the cosmic order.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18613602 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"18613602\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-262b8a9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"262b8a9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Historical Context<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46dcb7d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46dcb7d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61d3ab3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"61d3ab3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-117c166 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"117c166\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Period of the Texts<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73997a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73997a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The written <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span> concerning Hwanung reaches back several centuries into the past, very probably building on even older oral traditions that existed beforehand. The Koreans preserved this entity or this concept over extraordinarily long periods and carefully passed it on from generation to generation, which points to central religious and cultural significance.<\/p><p>The continuity of the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span> over these long spans of time is remarkable and shows a deep, stable cultural rootedness. In modern times too, the memory and sometimes also active veneration remains alive, sometimes transformed, but still recognizable in its essentials.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d47b156 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d47b156\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff38c2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ff38c2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Area of Distribution<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e49fcc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e49fcc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Hwanung was not confined to a particular region or locality, but was universally known and venerated, or respectfully feared, throughout the entire Korean world.<\/p><p>Whether in large urban centers or in peripheral rural regions, whether among the social elite or among the common people, the spiritual or cultural significance of this entity was consistently and universally acknowledged.<\/p><p>The Hwanung <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A transmitted narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> did not remain a local mountain story: as part of the Dangun narrative it became the founding story of Korea and thus a tradition through which the entire nation affirmed its origins. The Samguk Yusa provided the unified written version, and the national holiday Gaecheonjeol later carried the story into every part of the country. As a result, the tale of the heavenly prince on Mount Taebaek is known throughout Korea today in the same basic form.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db03c39 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"db03c39\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-229a87b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"229a87b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f471fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f471fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Source Situation<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36b1201 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36b1201\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Hwanung is documented in the Samguk yusa, the most influential text of Korean <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of the transmitted divine narratives of a culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">mythology<\/span> (Iryon, 1281). Further references are found in Confucian historical works such as the Goryeosa (History of Goryeo) and the Dongguk yeoji seungnam. The mytheme of the celestial descent connects cosmological Chinese conceptions (heaven as the highest power) with Korean <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ancestor venerated in many cultures as a protective power.\" tabindex=\"0\">ancestral<\/span> myths.<\/p><p>Scholars of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The academic discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religion<\/span> such as David A. Mason examine Hwanung as a bridging figure between Chinese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The conception of the structure and order of the world within a culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">cosmology<\/span> models and distinctly Korean traditions. Yi Sang-ok and Kim Tae-gon treat him as an archaic <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span> whose functions were later transferred to specialized deities.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae0637c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3ae0637c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31d07739 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"31d07739\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Name<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7642947 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b7642947\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a086266 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a086266\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Hwanung is depicted in the various sources and artistic traditions with certain recurring iconographic elements that remain relatively constant across decades and across different geographical regions. These elements are not purely decorative or chosen at random, but are deeply symbolically encoded and carry great meaning.<\/p><p>They centrally convey the being&#8217;s functions, sources of power, areas of responsibility and cosmic role.<\/p><p>The overall system is like a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Belonging to the divine and thereby withdrawn from everyday use.\" tabindex=\"0\">sacred<\/span> script or an encoded image: it allows the initiated or culturally educated to grasp the essential deeper meaning and to understand it correctly. Colors, sacred objects or weapons, physical attributes, specific accessories, all are significant and traditionally transmitted.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-709a44a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"709a44a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f585873 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2f585873\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Characteristics<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70621c12 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"70621c12\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4296eb49 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4296eb49\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Hwanung was central to the religious practice, the everyday rituals and the daily understanding of the Koreans. People turned to this entity in critical or particular life situations or at specific <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An ordered sequence of symbolic actions with religious or cultural meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">ritual<\/span> seasons, with structured, often elaborate rituals, prayers or <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An offering to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span>.<\/p><p>The tradition surrounding Hwanung was not passed on casually but fixed in writing: the monk Iryeon included it in the thirteenth century in the Samguk Yusa, drawing on older sources. The myth of the heavenly prince is thus preserved in a learned, Buddhist-influenced compilation, not merely in oral storytelling.<\/p><p>The continuity of these practices over many generations clearly shows that the practice was regarded as effective and necessary. The functions were manifold: some were preventive (warding off potential misfortune), some healing (alleviation of illness or suffering), some transformative (accompaniment through transitions between life stages).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e71476 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"44e71476\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c1fc3f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3c1fc3f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Profile: Hwanung<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84f33b8e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"84f33b8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-hqkdc67p elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"hqkdc67p\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The profile presents Hwanung from six perspectives: geographical and mythological origin, social groups of veneration, iconographic features, protective aspects and cultic parallels. These dimensions illustrate his role as a mediator between heaven and earth as well as between <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of the transmitted divine narratives of a culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">mythology<\/span> and state religion.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-qh9oavvu iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"qh9oavvu\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-awzx8k2k elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"awzx8k2k\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Origin<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-x6rowhv0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"x6rowhv0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Hwanung is described as the son of the supreme sky god Haneul-nim, or also of the Jade Emperor (under Chinese influence). His descent is located only vaguely in time, but is geographically associated with the Korean peninsula and its northern hinterland (Manchuria).<\/p><p>The legendary site of his descent is Mount Taebaek or Baekdusan. The mythological dating is prehistoric; in terms of religious history, the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An edifying narrative, usually about the lives of saints.\" tabindex=\"0\">legend<\/span> is understood as a cosmological narrative that does not aim at historical events, but at the founding of the cosmic order.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e3o4kxs iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8e3o4kxs\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08rkdgov elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"08rkdgov\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Related to<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-uwjelx8s elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"uwjelx8s\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Hwanung was venerated by priests, shamans and the educated elite who concerned themselves with cosmic questions. His veneration was less popular than that of other nature <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A bodiless being to which agency in the world is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirits<\/span>, and rather part of a cult of scholars and priests.<\/p><p>In later periods his figure was integrated into Confucian <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The conception of the structure and order of the world within a culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">cosmology<\/span>, which restricted his veneration to elite circles. Today he is primarily a literary and national mythical figure without an active <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of the religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span>, but with cultural prestige.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-jm2n74ec iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"jm2n74ec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8vufse4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8vufse4c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Hwanung's Appearance<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-mwb9u015 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"mwb9u015\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In early depictions Hwanung is shown as a radiant celestial being with a halo, often in colorful robes that suggest divine spheres. His attributes are the heavenly seal, a scepter or a staff with cosmic symbols (sun, moon, stars).<\/p><p>In later images he resembles a noble, androgynous being with supernatural radiance. The bear woman (Ungnyeo) is often depicted at his side, to show the union and the coming into being of Dangun. Celestial landscapes with mountains and clouds frame him.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37ss2yr6 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"37ss2yr6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3v0wp3wx elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3v0wp3wx\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Activity<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-w3247g2m elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"w3247g2m\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Sphere of Influence:<\/strong> In Korean <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of the transmitted divine narratives of a culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">mythology<\/span> Hwanung is the son of the sky god Hwanin and the father of King Dangun. He embodies the mediating aspect between heaven and earth, the &#8220;wanderer of worlds&#8221; who descends from the celestial sphere in order to act among humans. His power extends over fertility, wisdom and the founding of human civilization. The Samguk Yusa describes his descent and his union with the bear woman Ungnyeo, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands representatively for a concept or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbolic<\/span> of the mingling of divine and earthly nature. His influence shows itself in culture-founding wisdom and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The granting of well-being and protection, often in fixed verbal form.\" tabindex=\"0\">blessing<\/span> for agriculture.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0qpjal9w iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0qpjal9w\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ndoih0o elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6ndoih0o\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Means of Protection<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6684tyh9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6684tyh9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Hwanung is a benevolent being and not a harmful being. His <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of the religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> involved traditional rituals of veneration at mountain <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sacred place dedicated to the veneration of a deity.\" tabindex=\"0\">sanctuaries<\/span>, especially at Baekdusan and Taebaek. Shamans <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The petitioning or invoking address to a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">invoked<\/span> Hwanung in order to preserve cosmic harmony and to secure fertility.<\/p><p>In contrast to protective rituals against evil spirits, the veneration of Hwanung took place through reverence and petitionary prayers for cosmic order. Respect was maintained through mountain offerings and prayers, less through <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Warding off evil: of signs and objects intended to keep harmful influences away.\" tabindex=\"0\">apotropaic<\/span> practices.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3lfi7x32 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3lfi7x32\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0kg99ga1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0kg99ga1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Hwanung's Parallels<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-n0fum6kp elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"n0fum6kp\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Comparable are other gods of cosmic mediation: the Chinese Jade Emperor as mediator between heaven and earth, the Japanese Izanagi and Izanami as primordial creators who establish land and order, and the Indian Indra as king of the gods who intervenes in the world.<\/p><p>Common to all of them is the function of cosmic order through active intervention and the secularization of the divine through contact with the earthly.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7533bc7a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7533bc7a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2447d18d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2447d18d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Warding Off in Everyday Life<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5d0260c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d5d0260c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-341be2ac elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"341be2ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Rituals and Veneration<\/strong><\/p><p>Hwanung was venerated as a mediator; rituals took place on mountains (such as Paekdu, the most sacred mountain). Mudang shamanesses performed dance rituals in order to request Hwanung&#8217;s <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The granting of well-being and protection, often in fixed verbal form.\" tabindex=\"0\">blessing<\/span> for the harvests. Rites of passage (for example weddings) referred to Hwanung&#8217;s union with Ungnyeo as a sacred model.<\/p><p><strong>Conjurations and Invocations<\/strong><\/p><p><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The era of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BCE to 600 CE.\" tabindex=\"0\">Classical<\/span> formulas emphasize his office as mediator: &#8220;Hwanung, messenger between heaven and earth, bless our land.&#8221; Priestesses recited ritualized chants that recounted Hwanung&#8217;s descent. One transmitted <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The petitioning or invoking address to a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">invocation<\/span> ran: &#8220;Son of heaven, grant us wisdom and prosperity.&#8221;<\/p><p><strong><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A worn object to which a protective, misfortune-averting effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">Amulets<\/span> and Protective Symbols<\/strong><\/p><p>The celestial <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands representatively for a conception or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span> (white above, dark below) in traditional <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A worn object to which a protective, misfortune-averting effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">amulet<\/span> designs represents Hwanung&#8217;s position. Mountain <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span> displayed symbols of transition (stairs, bridges). Women wore fertility amulets with motifs of the heavenly messenger.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a584676 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5a584676\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d0757bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6d0757bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Hwanung, Parallels in Other Cultures<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60563f68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"60563f68\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a93fdd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a93fdd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Jewish tradition:<\/strong> In Judaism there is a partial correspondence in God&#8217;s descent to create the world and in his communication with humanity.<\/p><p>Particularly relevant is the figure of the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"In Heraclitus the cosmic principle of reason; in Philo and in the Gospel of John the creative essence of God.\">Logos<\/span> or of the Shekhinah (the presence of God), which acts as a mediating divine force. Unlike Hwanung, this is not personalized as a son of God, but conceived as an attribute or <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"In Neoplatonic and Kabbalistic theology the emergence of lower levels of being from the One.\">emanation<\/span>.<\/p><p><strong>Greco-Roman world:<\/strong> Zeus and the Demiurge (in Plato) resemble Hwanung in their role as cosmic ordering powers. Zeus actively intervenes in earthly affairs and, through union with mortals (Danae, Leda), begets new beings.<\/p><p>The Demiurge creates or orders the material world according to higher principles. Both are mediators between the ideal (celestial) and the real (earthly) order.<\/p><p><strong>Mesopotamia:<\/strong> The Akkadian Enlil, as god of the air and ruler of earthly fates, corresponds to Hwanung&#8217;s role. Enlil intervenes actively in order to create and preserve order.<\/p><p>Marduk (Babylon) too is depicted as a cosmic ordering power who, through his actions, structures and governs the world. The shared function is the mediation between cosmic principles and earthly reality.<\/p><p><strong>India \/ Asia:<\/strong> In the Indian tradition Hwanung resembles Brahma as creator or Indra as ordering power of the world. In Tibetan <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The conception of the structure and order of the world within a culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">cosmology<\/span> there are similar mediating figures between the pure divine realm and material manifestation. In Chinese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Chinese religious-philosophical tradition oriented toward the Dao, the Way.\">Daoism<\/span> the &#8220;Supreme Pure One&#8221; or an <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"In Neoplatonic and Kabbalistic theology the emergence of lower levels of being from the One.\">emanation<\/span> of the Dao would play a comparable role.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp443cad9 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp443cad9\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpeb7854a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpeb7854a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Hwanung in the Dangun Foundation Myth: the Descent from Heaven<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp1dde6c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp1dde6c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpe5c1894 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpe5c1894\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Hwanung is the key figure of the Korean foundation myth as it is transmitted in the <em>Samguk Yusa<\/em>, the &#8220;Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms,&#8221; which the Buddhist monk Iryeon compiled in the 13th century.<\/p><p>According to this account, Hwanung is the son of the heavenly ruler <em>Hwanin<\/em>. Hwanung looks down from heaven upon the human world and wishes to act there. His father recognizes this wish and entrusts the earth to him for ordering.<\/p><p>Hwanung descends with a retinue onto the mountain, in the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A transmitted narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> the <em>Taebaek<\/em> mountain, namely to a place beneath a sacred sandalwood tree. There he founds the &#8220;divine city&#8221; and takes up the rule over the human world.<\/p><p>Decisive is that he brings with him three heavenly seals and a retinue of three thousand beings, as well as the lords over wind, rain and clouds.<\/p><p>With this apparatus he regulates, according to the text, three hundred and sixty affairs of humans, among them agriculture, lifespan, illness, punishment and the distinction between good and evil.<\/p><p>Hwanung is thus not a creator god in the strict sense, but a founder of culture and a bringer of order. He does not create the world, but he makes it habitable and arranges human coexistence.<\/p><p>Scholarship has pointed out that this myth bears the typical features of a myth legitimating rule: the order of the world goes back to a son of heaven, and thereby the later earthly rule, which derives from Hwanung&#8217;s son <a href=\"\/en\/dangun\/\">Dangun<\/a>, is anchored in heaven.<\/p><p>The descent of Hwanung is the mythical foundation on which the entire foundation narrative of Korea rests.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp755269f e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp755269f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp74605f6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp74605f6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Bear and Tiger Episode and the Birth of Dangun<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpe1d7967 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpe1d7967\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpf5486ba elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpf5486ba\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The best-known section of the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A transmitted narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> is the transformation trial of bear and tiger. According to the <em>Samguk Yusa<\/em>, a bear and a tiger turn to Hwanung with the wish to become humans.<\/p><p>Hwanung gives them sacred mugwort stalks and twenty cloves of garlic and commands them to eat these and to avoid sunlight for a hundred days.<\/p><p>The tiger does not endure the deprivation and leaves the cave. The bear, however, perseveres and is transformed, after the prescribed period, in the text after twenty-one days, into a woman, the <em>Ungnyeo<\/em>, the &#8220;bear woman.&#8221;<\/p><p>Ungnyeo, however, finds no partner and prays beneath the sacred tree for a child. Hwanung thereupon temporarily takes on human form, marries her, and she gives birth to a son: Dangun Wanggeom, the mythical founder of the first Korean realm <em>Gojoseon<\/em>.<\/p><p>This episode is multilayered in terms of religious history. The transformation trial bears clear features of an <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A ritual transition through which someone is admitted into a new status or community.\" tabindex=\"0\">initiation<\/span> <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A fixed, recurring religious act.\" tabindex=\"0\">rite<\/span>: withdrawal into the darkness of the cave, fasting, deprivation, proving, and rebirth in a new form. Scholarship has also seen in it a possible reflex of totemic conceptions, with the bear playing a special role.<\/p><p>Important is the constellation that the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A transmitted narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> establishes: Dangun unites in himself heavenly origin, through Hwanung, and earthly, animal origin, through the bear woman.<\/p><p>This connection of heaven and earth, of the divine and earthly sphere, is the mythical foundation for the special position of the Korean ruling lineage and ultimately of the Korean people in the self-interpretation of this tradition.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp418c944 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp418c944\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp973dc99 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp973dc99\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Hongik Ingan: the Guiding Principle of the Welfare of Humanity<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpa2719df e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpa2719df\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp64bb860 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp64bb860\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A short expression from the Hwanung <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A transmitted narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> has gained, in Korean intellectual history, a significance that reaches far beyond the text: <em>Hongik Ingan<\/em>, usually translated as &#8220;to be of great benefit to humans&#8221; or &#8220;to bring comprehensive welfare to humanity.&#8221; In the <em>Samguk Yusa<\/em> it is the intention with which Hwanung, or rather his father Hwanin, justifies the descent to earth.<\/p><p>The son of heaven comes not to rule, but to benefit humans.<\/p><p>From this brief mythical justification, a state and cultural guiding principle developed in the 20th century. <em>Hongik Ingan<\/em> was raised, after the liberation of Korea, to the declared guiding idea of the national education system and remains to this day a fundamental pedagogical ideal.<\/p><p>The phrase appears in educational policy documents and shapes the national self-understanding as a humanistically oriented one.<\/p><p>This history of influence is instructive in terms of religious history. It shows how a single sentence from a medieval collection of myths can become, in modern times, the bearer of a national identity.<\/p><p>Scholarship critically discusses to what extent the modern interpretation corresponds to the original textual context and to what extent it reinterprets it out of later needs.<\/p><p>It is undisputed that the Hwanung <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A transmitted narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> received, through <em>Hongik Ingan<\/em>, an ethical core that sets it apart from a mere myth legitimating rule.<\/p><p>In this reading Hwanung appears not as a conqueror, but as the founder of an order oriented toward the common good. Whether this emphasis was already inherent in Iryeon&#8217;s text or whether it was first worked out by modern reception remains the subject of scholarly debate.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp83a61d6 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp83a61d6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpb717f9d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpb717f9d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Source Criticism: the Samguk Yusa and the Age of the Myth<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpc9e81a4 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpc9e81a4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp86f522d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp86f522d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The question of how old the Hwanung <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A transmitted narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> actually is belongs to the most difficult of Korean religious history, and it calls for sober source criticism. The authoritative version is found in the <em>Samguk Yusa<\/em> from the late 13th century.<\/p><p>Iryeon, the author, was a Buddhist monk, and he states that he drew on older sources, among them a work not preserved, which he calls the <em>Gogi<\/em>, &#8220;old <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The transmission of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">record<\/span>.&#8221; A further, roughly contemporaneous or somewhat later mention is found in the <em>Jewang Ungi<\/em> of Yi Seunghyu.<\/p><p>This gives rise to a methodological problem. The oldest preserved written attestation dates from the 13th century, that is, millennia after the events named in the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A transmitted narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span>. Whether and in what form the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A transmitted narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> existed beforehand, orally or in writing, cannot be directly attested.<\/p><p>Some researchers assume that core elements, such as the heavenly descent and the bear woman, are considerably older and go back to early shamanistic or totemistic conceptions.<\/p><p>Others emphasize that the transmitted version is strongly shaped by Buddhist and Chinese historical thought and, at least in its literary form, represents a work of the High Middle Ages.<\/p><p>In addition, the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A transmitted narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> became strongly politically charged in the 20th century, both in national identity formation and in religious movements that invoke Dangun and Hwanung. This modern instrumentalization has at times complicated scholarly discussion.<\/p><p>A serious classification of Hwanung must therefore separate two things: the question of the actual age and roots of individual myth elements, which can be answered only cautiously, and the question of the documented <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>, which clearly begins in the 13th century.<\/p><p>Whoever cites the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A transmitted narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span> should rely on the well-attested textual basis and mark speculations about the prehistory as such.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36dd7469 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"36dd7469\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13760ab4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13760ab4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Further Links<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28c87796 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"28c87796\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d6538df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5d6538df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><a href=\"\/en\/dangun\/\">Dangun, Hwanung&#8217;s Son<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-grl4kl40 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"grl4kl40\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bzsbfrmh elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bzsbfrmh\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Literature (Selection)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c13224a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2c13224a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eymh9ub elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0eymh9ub\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"iwg-literatur\" data-nosnippet=\"true\"><ul><li><span data-nosnippet>Grayson, J. H.: <em>Korea, A Religious History<\/em>. Routledge, 2002.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Park, Noe-Hui: <em>Shamanic Hierarchy and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Collective term for teachings that claim a hidden knowledge accessible only to initiates.\" tabindex=\"0\">Esoteric<\/span> Buddhism in Korean Mudang Traditions<\/em>. Korean Shamanic Studies, 2003.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/footer>\n<p class=\"iwg-bib-more\"><span data-nosnippet>Further standard works in the <a href=\"\/en\/literature\/\">literature index<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hwanung, God of the Korean Tradition Hwanung is the god of heaven and earth in Korean mythology, son of the supreme sky god Haneul-nim. In the Samguk yusa he is described as a being who descended to earth in order to found a realm. His veneration embodies the mediation between cosmic and earthly forces. GodKoreaHigh [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5377,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Hwanung","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Hwanung: Korean Heavenly Prince of Mount Taebaek","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"The written tradition concerning Hwanung reaches back several centuries into the past, very probably building on even older oral traditions...","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_angie_page":false,"gefaehrdungsstufe":"","wesen_kultur":"","wesen_klasse":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[79,86,113],"class_list":["post-5376","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultures","category-gods","category-korea"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Hwanung: Korean 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