Dangun

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Dangun
Hangul: 단군왕검
Hanja: 檀君王儉
Revised Romanization: Dangun Wanggeom
McCune-Reischauer: Tan'gun Wanggŏm
Dangun
Hangul 환인
Hanja 桓因
Revised Romanization Hwan-in
McCune-Reischauer Hwan-in


Korean mythology represents Dangun Wanggeom as the founder of Gojoseon, the first kingdom of Korea, in present-day Liaoning, Manchuria, and the Korean Peninsula. Myth represents him as the grandson of the god of heaven who founded the kingdom in 2333 B.C.E. Some scholars maintain that the term Dangun also refers to a title used by all rulers of Gojoseon, and that Wanggeom is the proper name of the founder.

Story

Hwanin (환인; 桓因)

Dangun's ancestry begins with his grandfather Hwanin (환인; 桓因), Divine Regent or the "Lord of Heaven" (a name which also appears in Indian Buddhist texts). According to the budoji (1953), Hwanin is the grandson of Hwang-gung 황궁(黃穹), one of the Four Men of Heaven and considered a direct ancestor of the Korean people. In the later Dangun mythology he is portrayed as the Emperor of Heaven himself.

Hwanin 환인(桓因) is an alias of Indra.[1]Hwanin 환인(桓因) is the name in Buddhism of Indra, this name is widely used in east Asia. Hwanin is a pronunciation of the Chinese letters "환인 桓因," which is merely ancient Korean oral language written with Chinese written language letters with similar sounds.[citation needed]

Hanul-nim. Basically, 하늘님 Hanul-nim is in pure Korean, which means "Sky Highness" (the suffix "님 -nim" is addressed towards a person of higher rank, much like "-sama" in Japanese). It changed orally from "하늘님 Hanul-nim" into "하느님 Haneuh-nim" and finally, ancient scholars have rewritten this according with similar sounding Chinese Letters: 桓因. In modern Korean, these particular Chinese letters are pronounced as "환인(Hwanin)." But the majority of the Koreans today, not knowing this, recognize 환인 (Hwanin) as a name for a person, not knowing it actually is a demorphed form of a heavenly title, referring to a heavenly deity.

Hwanung (환웅(桓雄))

Hwanin had a son Hwanung (환웅(桓雄)) who yearned to live on the earth among the valleys and the mountains. Hwanin permitted Hwanung and 3000 followers to descend onto Baekdu Mountain, then called Taebaek Mountain (태백산; 太伯山), where Hwanung founded Sinsi (신시; 神市, "City of God"). Along with his ministers of clouds, rain, and wind, he instituted laws and moral codes and taught humans various arts, medicine, and agriculture.

Tiger and a Bear. A tiger and a bear prayed to Hwanung that they may become human. Upon hearing their prayers, Hwanung gave them twenty cloves of garlic and a bundle of mugwort, ordering them to eat only this sacred food and remain out of the sunlight for 100 days. The tiger gave up after about twenty days and left the cave. However, the bear remained and was transformed into a woman.

The bear-woman (Ungnyeo; 웅녀; 熊女) was grateful and made offerings to Hwanung. However, she lacked a husband, and soon became sad and prayed beneath a Sindansu (신단수; 神檀樹, "Divine Betula") tree to be blessed with a child. Hwanung, moved by her prayers, took her for his wife and soon she gave birth to a son, who was named Dangun Wanggeom.

Dangun Wanggeom

Dangun ascended to the throne, built the walled city of Pyongyang (present capital of North Korea), and called the kingdom Joseon. He then moved his capital to Asadal on Mount Baegak (or Mount Gunghol). Fifteen hundred years later, in the year Kimyo, King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty enfeoffed Jizi to Joseon, and Dangun moved his capital to Jangdangyeong. Finally, he returned to Asadal and became a mountain god at the age of 1,908.

Dating

Dangun's rule is usually calculated to begin in 2333 B.C.E., based on the description of the Dongguk Tonggam (1485) as the 50th year of the reign of the legendary Chinese Emperor Yao. Other sources vary somewhat, but also put it during Yao's reign (traditional dates: 2357 B.C.E.-2256 B.C.E.). Samguk Yusa states Dangun ascended to the throne in the 50th year of Yao's reign, while Sejong Sillok says the first year and Dongguk Tonggam says the 25th year.

Until 1961, the official South Korean era (for numbering years) was called the Dangi (단기; 檀紀), which began in 2333 B.C.E. Daejong-gyo considered October 3rd in the Korean calendar as Gaecheonjeol (개천절; 開天節, "Festival of the Opening of Heaven"). This day is now a national holiday in the Gregorian calendar, called National Foundation Day.

Interpretation

The earliest recorded version of the Dangun legend appears in the 13th century Samguk Yusa, which cites China's Book of Wei and Korea's lost history text Gogi (古記). This is the best known and most studied version, but similar versions are recorded in the Jewang Un-gi by the late Goryeo scholar Yi Seunghyu 李承休 (1224­-1300), as well as the Eungje Siju and Sejong Sillok of the early Joseon dynasty.

Scholars today regard the legend as reflecting the sun-worship and totemism common in the origin myths of Northeast Asia. The bear is often found in origin myths of Manchuria and Russian Far East. The legend therefore may hint at the relationships among various tribes that worshipped the sun, bear, and tiger.

The story further illustrates the importance of knowledge of weather to the early agricultural peoples of Korea.

Archaeological site

Dangun
Chosŏn'gŭl 단군릉
Hancha 檀君陵
McCune-Reischauer Tan'gunrŭng
Revised Romanization Dangunreung


Mausoleum of Dangun. In the 1990s, North Korea claimed it had found and excavated parts of the Mausoleum of Dangun. Scholars outside of North Korea are generally skeptical of the dating methods and the extent of renovations, since the government has not permitted independent access and testing.

Extensively restored in 1994, the Mausoleum occupies about 1.8 km² (.70 mi²) on the slope of Taebak Mountain (대박산). The complex is divided into three major sections: restoration work area, stone statue area, and the burial site. Dangun's grave is shaped like a pyramid, about 22 m (72 ft) high and 50 m (164 ft) on each side.

Traditionally, Gojoseon was thought to have been founded in 2333 B.C.E. Current excavations, however, have dramatically changed the estimates of North Korean historians back to at least 3000 B.C.E., making the site c.5011 years old (±267 years in 1993).

Controversy. A nail found in the mausoleum, dating to the Goguryeo period (37 B.C.E.-668 B.C.E.), has been the subject of much controversy. That discovery has led some North Korean historians to conclude that the mausoleum was discovered and renovated during that period.

Many observers and historians outside of North Korea, including South Korea, consider the data and the interpretation compromised by politics and nationalism. North Korea has permitted no independent testing to resolve the questions over authenticity and dating.

Dangun as religion

During the Mongol invasions of Korea, the Dangun legend played an important role in national unity and patriotic mobilization against the invaders. Gosindo (고신도; 古神道), a version of Korean shamanism that considered Dangun a god, had a small following, but had largely died out by the 15th century.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with a resurgence in Korean nationalism after repeated Japanese invasions and the beginning of Japanese rule (1910-1945), the movement revived in Daejonggyo (대종교; 大宗敎). Na Cheol (1864-1916) promoted Daejonggyo, but subsided under the suppression of the Japanese occupation forces (Taejonggyo (1999)/Tangun), since it conflicted with the Japanese cultural assimilation policy. After the surrender of Japan and the liberation of Korea, Daejonggyo revived, although remaining a minor religion.

Dangun in Taekwon-Do

Dangun is the second pattern or tul in the ITF form of the Korean martial art taekwon-do. Students learn that the tul represents "The holy legendary founder of Korea in the year 2333 B.C.E." Unusually for a tul, all the punches in Dangun are high section (at eye level), symbolising Dangun scaling a mountain. See Dan-Gun Hyung.


Preceded by:
none
Emperor of Gojoseon
2333 B.C.E. – 2240 B.C.E.
Succeeded by:
Dangun Buru

References
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  1. 三國遺事 卷第一 紀異 第一, 昔有桓因 謂帝釋也


External links

Sites dealing with the controversy:

See also

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