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Unlike Western Mythology Korean Shamanism holds the belief that all gods are equally powerful

The gods are meant to solve day to day problems of common people. The problems each god is meant to solve is related to the background story of each god

tended not to interfere with human lives

when they help humans out they expect to be treated well and rewarded by the humans

if not they retaliate with disaster to punish the humans

The dead go to the underworld

Kangim - the death messenger of the underworld. Guides the dead to the underworld - parallels to Grim Reaper and Charon in greek mythology

The Kut

The Kut is a ritual performed by a shaman in Korean Shamanism in order ask the gods for help with problems in people's daily lives

Praying to gods

The Kut is the origin of all

Korean Myths and Legends

Creation Myths

Koreans believe that each god has a different kind of authority

The gods can only solve a persons problems if they pray to the right god for their particular problem and background.

Like all religions and mythologies, Korean mythology has stories explaining how the world came to be

  • The Creation God Creates order out of Chaos - what was united is now divided/ creates something new from something old

The Kut helps these myths and legends be passed down through oral tradition from generation to generation

  • Brother-sister-intermarriage myth - world destroyed by flood. only survivors are two siblings. Decide to marry each other to repopulate the earth - similar to noah's arch myth in Abrahamic Religions

Because of this oral tradition, there is a

lot of variation within the details of the myths and they tend to vary even within the same ethnic groups

Gods

Underworld Myths

Korean Proverb: "no matter how bad, it is still better to live than to die

Creatures and Monsters

Dokkaebi

Goblin like creatures.

Mostly harmless but like

to wrestle and play pranks

Haechi

cross between lion and watchdog

symbolize justice

they eat fire and protect against disaster

statues of haechi often placed in front of building in in Korea to protect it from burning down

recently became mascot of Seoul

Kangim

Slightly disturbing Creatures and Monsters

  • Kangim was originally an officer serving under Kim Ch'i
  • A man named Kwayangsaengi and his wife killed the three sons of a King in order to steal their money
  • The three sons were reborn to Kwayangsaengi and his wife and were training to become government officials. Soon after they died suddenly while with their parents.
  • Kangim was assigned to figure out how the sons died, and asked The King of the Underworld for help with the problem.
  • Kwayansaengi was revealed as a murderer and as a reward Kangim was appointed death messenger

Underworld

Other Gods Cont.

Chollima

Basically a Pegasus

Now used as communist propaganda in North Korea

  • There is more than one death messenger. Kangim encounters one named Kilnajang on his way to speak to the king of the Underworld. He offers Kilnajang some cake after he helps him as a way of thanking him - similar to Shamens offering gifts to the gods after they help the people.
  • Underworld and this world are separated. Kangim enters the underworld through a pond in a similar fashion to how Orpheus entered a cave that lead to the underworld in order to save his wife Eurydice from Hades in Greek Mythology

Saengbulhalmang - goddess who predicts pregnancies, and helps with the bbirth and raising of children

Namsaengi and Kobuki - brother gods who care for sick children

Sonnim gods - bring happiness to people who treat them well and smallpox to people who do not

Ch'ilsong Goddesses - snake goddesses

Gwishin

Restless ghosts of Women and girls who have unfinished business on earth

depicted with long black hair and a white dress

pretty much Samara from The Ring

Korean Mythology and Shamanism

Other Gods

Now back to the enjoyable Creatures and Monsters that aren't super disturbing and associated with Communist Regimes

Old Samsinhalmang - goddess who kills children

Samsinhalmang - goddess who gives birth to children

Songju - house god. controlls happiness/sadness of a family. similar to ancestor god

Maitreya - creation god

Sakyamuni - god of evil in the world

Sobyolwang - god of living, Taebyolwang - god of dead. brothers who competed to be god of living (like Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades who gambled to see who would control what)

Scholar Jungsan - sun god, Bride Ilwol - moon goddess (like Apollo and Artimis)

Paridegi - shamen goddess, goddess of healing and a death messenger

The three Chesok Gods - gods of agriculture, fortune and life

Dragons

Very similar to Chinese dragons

associated with water and agriculture

summon rain

live in water and help humans

benevolent

Very different from Malevolent Western

Dragons who breath fire

In conclusion

There are a lot of similarities in Korean mythology to greek mythology as well as several differences

Gumiho

A fox that has lived for 1000 years and can shapeshift

Often chose the form of a beautiful young woman

seduce men to eat their livers

Also known as a nine-tailed fox

Ciara Cronin

references

bae

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