View source for Tan'gun

{{short description|Korean king and deity}}
{{other uses|Dangun (disambiguation)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox Korean name/auto
| image     = File:Portrait of Dangun.jpg
| caption   = Portrait of Tan'gun (by Chae Yong-sin, 19–20th century)
| hangul    = ^단군_왕검
| hanja     = 檀君王儉
| ipa = {{IPA|ko|tan.ɡun waŋ.ɡʌm|}}
}}
 
'''Tan'gun''' ({{Korean/auto|hangul=^단군|hanja=檀君|rr=yes|ko_ipa=tan.ɡun}}), also known as '''Tan'gun Wanggŏm''' ({{Korean/auto|hangul=단군왕검|hanja=檀君王儉|ko_ipa=tan.ɡun waŋ.ɡʌm|labels=no}}), was the legendary founder and first king of [[Old Chosŏn|Gojoseon]], the first [[Korea]]n kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |title=단군 |url=https://m.terms.naver.com/entry.naver?docId=1820207&cid=46620&categoryId=46620 |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=m.terms.naver.com |language=En}}</ref> He founded the first kingdom around the northern part of the [[Korean Peninsula]]. He is said to be the "grandson of heaven",<ref>{{cite book |last= Melton |first= J. Gordon |author-link= J. Gordon Melton |year= 2014 |title= Faiths Across Time: 5,000 Years of Religious History |volume= 1 |publisher= [[ABC-Clio]] |pages= [https://books.google.com/books?id=bI9_AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA31] |isbn= 978-1610690263 }}</ref> "son of a bear",<ref>{{cite book | pages = [https://books.google.com/books?id=iB8R0oEH3kEC&pg=PA25] | last = Kang | first = Chae-ŏn | year = 2006 | title = The Land of Scholars: Two Thousand Years of Korean Confucianism | publisher = Homa & Sekey | isbn = 1931907374 }}</ref> and to have founded the first kingdom in [[24th century BC#Mythology|2333 BC]].

The earliest recorded version of the Tan'gun legend appears in the 13th-century ''[[Samguk yusa]]'', which purportedly cites Korea's lost historical record, ''Gogi'' ({{Korean|고기|古記|labels=no}}; {{lit}} 'Ancient Record') and China's ''[[Book of Wei]]''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160105162506/http://premium.britannica.co.kr/bol/topic.asp?article_id=b04d1969b 한국 브리태니커 온라인 '단군'] Encyclopædia Britannica online Korea '단군 Dangun'</ref> However, there are no records related to Tan'gun in the current surviving version of the ''[[Book of Wei]]''.<ref>{{Cite web | title = 단군(檀君) | work=Korean Culture Portal | access-date = 31 January 2025 | url = https://www.culture.go.kr/knowledge/encyclopediaView.do?code_value=H&vvm_seq=8145&ccm_code=H061&ccm_subcode=H161 | language=ko}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title = [한국 고대사-1] 국조 단군이야기 | last = Kim | first = Dongho | work=[[The Hankyoreh]] | access-date = 31 January 2025 | url = https://www.hanion.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=6931 | language=ko}}</ref>

Koreans celebrate Tan'gun's founding of [[Old Chosŏn|Gojoseon]], Korea's first dynasty, on 3 October as a national holiday known as [[National Foundation Day (Korea)|National Foundation Day]] (''Gaecheonjeol''). It is a religious anniversary started by [[Daejongism]] ({{Korean|대종교|大倧教|labels=no}}), worshipping Tan'gun.

Many Korean historians regard Tan'gun and [[Tengri]] as being [[etymology|etymologically]] identical.<ref>{{Cite journal |last= Kim |first= Sang Yil |date= March 1986 |title= Hanism: Korean Concept of Ultimacy |journal= Ultimate Reality and Meaning |language= en |volume= 9 |issue= 1 |pages= 17–36 |doi= 10.3138/uram.9.1.17 |issn= 0709-549X |doi-access= free }}</ref>

== Myth and interpretations ==
{{History of Korea}}
In [[Korean mythology]], Tan'gun's ancestry legend begins with his grandfather [[Hwanin]] ({{Korean|환인|桓因|labels=no}}), the "Lord of Heaven". Hwanin had a son, [[Hwanung]], who yearned to live on the earth among the valleys and the mountains. Hwanin permitted Hwanung and 3,000 followers to descend onto Taebaeksan (written as [[Myohyang-san]] in ''[[samguk sagi]]'', but now believed to be [[Paektu Mountain]]),<ref>{{cite web |last1=David A. |first1=Mason |title=The Background and Contemporary Spiritual-Nationalist Significance  of Mt. Baekdu-san and the Baekdu-daegan Range, in All of Korea |url=http://seed.upol.cz/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/lecture-essay-david-mason.pdf. |access-date=30 December 2024}}</ref> where Hwanung founded Sinsi ({{Korean|신시|神市|labels=no}}, "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.<ref>[http://www.academicmartialarts.co.uk/pages/information/korea/mythology/samguk_yusa/the_story_of_dan_gun/ The Story of Dan-gun] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903043622/http://www.academicmartialarts.co.uk/pages/information/korea/mythology/samguk_yusa/the_story_of_dan_gun/ |date=3 September 2011 }}</ref> Legend attributes the development of [[acupuncture]] and [[moxibustion]] to Tan'gun.<ref>{{cite book | pages = [https://books.google.com/books?id=0-0tdqBr58cC&pg=PA262 262] | last = Needham | first = J | author-link = Joseph Needham |author2=Lu GD | year = 2002 | title = Celestial lancets: a history and rationale of acupuncture and moxa | publisher = [[Routledge]] | isbn = 0-7007-1458-8 }}</ref>

A tiger and a bear prayed to Hwanung that they might 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 persevered and was transformed into a woman. The bear and the tiger are said to represent two tribes that sought the favor of the heavenly prince.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.san-shin.org/Dan-gun_Myth.html|title = Myth of Founding-King Dan-gun}}</ref>

The bear-woman, [[Ungnyeo]], was grateful and made offerings to Hwanung. However, she lacked a husband, and soon became sad and prayed beneath a  "divine [[birch]]" tree ({{Korean|신단수|神檀樹|shindansu|labels=no}}) to be blessed with a child. Hwanung, moved by her prayers, took her for his wife and soon she gave birth to a son named Tan'gun Wang'gŏm.<ref>{{cite book | pages = [https://books.google.com/books?id=BA_QAgAAQBAJ&q=dangun+built+pyongyang] | last = Tudor | first = Daniel | year = 2013 | title = Korea: The Impossible Country: The Impossible Country | publisher = [[Tuttle Publishing]] | isbn = 978-1462910229 }}</ref>

Tan'gun ascended to the throne, built the walled city of [[Asadal]] situated near [[Pyongyang]] (the location is disputed), and called the kingdom Joseon—referred to today as [[Old Chosŏn|Gojoseon]] so as not to be confused with the later kingdom of [[Joseon]] that was established roughly 2000 years later. He then moved his capital to [[Asadal]] on Mount Paegak or Mount Gunghol.<ref>{{cite book | pages = [https://books.google.com/books?id=BA_QAgAAQBAJ&q=dangun+built+pyongyang] | last = Tudor | first = Daniel | year = 2013 | title = Korea: The Impossible Country: The Impossible Country | publisher = [[Tuttle Publishing]] | isbn = 978-1462910229 }}</ref>

Tan'gun's biography reflected the interest of the people of [[Dangun Joseon]] ([[Old Chosŏn|Gojoseon]]) at the time in establishing the legitimacy of the kingship of Gojoseon and the dignity of the country. The king of Gojoseon conducted a ritual in honor of his ancestral god every year. Soon, the myth of Tan'gun was the political ideology of the Gojoseon period, and the ritual had a function of political assembly.

=== Dates ===
Emperor Tan'gun's rule is usually calculated to begin in 2333 BCE, based on the description of the ''[[Tongguk t'onggam]]'' (1485) contrary to the 40th year of the reign of the legendary Chinese [[Emperor Yao]].<ref>{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=h9-DOFiUI5oC&q=dongguk+tonggam+dangun&pg=PA25
 | last = Richmond| first = Simon |author2= Yu-Mei Balasingamchow | year = 2010 | title = Lonely Planet Korea| publisher = Lonely Planet | isbn = 978-1742203560| page =25}}</ref> Other sources vary somewhat, but also put it during Yao's reign (traditional dates: 2357 BC-2256 BC). The ''[[Samguk yusa]]'' states Tan'gun ascended to the throne in the 50th year of Yao's reign, while ''[[Annals of the Joseon Dynasty]]'' says the first year and ''Tongguk t'onggam'' says the 25th year.<ref>{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AVw_C0SZkZ4C&q=dangun+dongguk+tongam&pg=PA56 | last = Hong | first = Sung-wook | year = 2008 | title = Naming God in Korea: The Case of Protestant Christianity| publisher = OCMS | isbn = 978-1870345668 | page =56}}</ref>

[[File:Southkoreastampday50hwan1956scott233.jpg|thumb|150px|right|A South Korean postage stamp in 1956 (Dangi 4289)]]
Until 1961, the official South Korean era (for numbering years) was called the ''[[Dangun calendar|Dangi]]'' ({{Korean|단기|檀紀|labels=no}}), which began in 2333 BC. Followers of [[Daejongism]] considered 3 October in the [[Korean calendar]] as ''[[Gaecheonjeol]]''.<ref>{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=E4P1AgAAQBAJ&q=gaecheonjeol+festival+of+opening+heaven&pg=PA76 | last = Lim | first = SK | year = 2011 | title = Asia Civilizations: Ancient to 1800 AD | publisher = Asiapac Books Pte Ltd | isbn = 978-9812295941 | page =76}}</ref> This day is now a [[Public holidays in South Korea|public holiday in South Korea]] in the [[Gregorian calendar]] called "National Foundation Day". North Korea dates Tan'gun's founding of Gojoseon to the early 30th century BC.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2006-06-02 |title=Pyongyang, the DPRK, has the longest history as the capital city in the world.: Time-honored Pyongyang |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/dprk/2006/dprk-060602-kcna02.htm |work=Globalsecurity.org}}</ref>

15 March in the year 4340 of the Tan'gun Era is called "Royal Day Festival" ({{Korean|어천절|御天節|Eocheonjeol|labels=no}}), the day that the semi-legendary founder Tan'gun returned to the heavens.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

=== Historical perception ===
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2021}}
Tan'gun began to attract attention during the late [[Goryeo dynasty]], when Koreans fought wars against the Mongolian [[Yuan dynasty]]. During the [[Joseon]] period they were worshiped as the ancestors of the nation. In the Joseon dynasty, a shrine dedicated to Tan'gun of [[Old Chosŏn|Gojoseon]] and King [[Chumo of Goguryeo]] was built in Pyongyang, and the Samseongdang ({{Korean|삼성당|三聖堂|labels=no}}), dedicated to the gods of Hwanin, Hwanung, and Tan'gun, was built.

In Korea at the end of the 19th century, it was greatly emphasized to highlight the resistance of the Joseon people against Imperialist invasion, and it developed into a religion, [[Daejongism|Dangunkyo]] ({{Korean|단군교|檀君敎|labels=no}}). Tan'gun, who emerged as the central figure of nationalism, played a large role in the spiritual foundation of the independence movement during the Japanese colonial period. In addition, the history of the Tan'gun era was compiled by followers of [[Daejongism]],  such as 'Daedong Sagang' ({{Korean|대동사강|labels=no}}) and 'Gyuwon Sahwa' ({{Korean|규원사화|labels=no}}) and the independence movement, emphasizing the history of the Tan'gun period.

The study of Tan'gun in South Korea focused on the historical significance of the Gojoseon society. In South Korea, Tan'gun Wanggeom is regarded as the head of the Gojoseon society, with many characteristics of the role of high priest. Wanggeom has the meaning of an overlord who governs the country.

In North Korea, the Tan'gun and Tan'gun myths were previously established as the founding myth to justify the process of establishing the Gojoseon regime. However, after the excavation of the supposedly tomb of Tan'gun in 1994, North Korea changed its position and claimed that the Tan'gun myth reflects historical facts and that Tan'gun is a real person. The tomb of Tan'gun was reconstructed and became the [[Mausoleum of Tangun]].

== Appearances ==
The earliest recorded version of the Tan'gun legend appears in the 13th century ''[[Samguk yusa]]'', which cites China's [[Book of Wei]] and Korea's lost history text ''Gogi'' ({{Korean|고기|古記|labels=no}}).<ref>{{cite book | pages = [https://books.google.com/books?id=AVw_C0SZkZ4C&dq=dangun+dongguk+tongam&pg=PA56] | last = Hong | first = Sung-wook | year = 2008 | title = Naming God in Korea: The Case of Protestant Christianity| publisher = OCMS | isbn = 978-1870345668}}</ref> This is the best known and most studied version, but similar versions are recorded in the ''[[Jewang ungi|Jewang Un-gi]]'' by the late Goryeo scholar [[Yi Seunghyu]] ({{Korean|이승휴|李承休|labels=no}}, 1224–1300), as well as the ''Eungje Siju'' ({{Korean|응제시주|應製詩註|labels=no}}) and ''Sejong Sillok'' ({{lang|ko|세종실록}}; commonly known as "''Annals of the Joseon Dynasty"'', ''Sejong Jang-heon Dae-wang Shil-lok''; {{Korean|세종장헌대왕실록|世宗莊憲大王實錄|labels=no}}) of the early Joseon. Tan'gun is worshipped today as a deity by the followers of [[Cheondoism]] and Daejongism.<ref>{{cite book | pages = [https://books.google.com/books?id=Gf9OAQAAIAAJ&q=dangun+religion+worship] | last = Mason| first = David A. | year = 1999 | title = Spirit of the Mountains: Korea's San-Shin and Traditions of Mountain-worship| publisher = Hallim Publishing| isbn = 1565911075}}</ref>

===In taekwondo===
Tan'gun is the second pattern or [[hyeong]] in the [[International Taekwon-Do Federation]] form of the Korean martial art [[taekwondo]]. Students learn that the hyeong represents "the holy legendary founder of Korea in the year 2333 BC."<ref>{{cite book | pages = [https://books.google.com/books?id=OBfRAgAAQBAJ&dq=dangun+taekwondo&pg=PT152] | last = Kemerly | first = Tony |author2= Steve Snyder | year = 2013 | title = Taekwondo Grappling Techniques: Hone Your Competitive Edge for Mixed Martial Arts| publisher = [[Tuttle Publishing]]| isbn = 978-1462909919}}</ref>

== Mausoleum of Tan'gun ==
{{main|Mausoleum of Tangun}}

[[File:Laika ac Mausoleum of Tangun (7987312460).jpg|thumb|[[Mausoleum of Tangun]], in Kangdong County, North Korea]]
North Korea's leader [[Kim Il Sung]] insisted that Tan'gun was not merely a legend but a real historical person. As a consequence, North Korean archaeologists were compelled to locate the purported remains and grave of Tan'gun.<ref>{{Cite web | title = The good things in North Korea | first = Fyodor | last = Tertitskiy|author-link= Fyodor Tertitskiy | work=[[NK News]] | date = 6 June 2016 | access-date = 20 July 2016 | url = https://www.nknews.org/2016/06/the-good-things-in-north-korea/ }}</ref>

According to a North Korean publication, the [[Mausoleum of Tangun|Mausoleum of Tan'gun]] is the alleged burial site of the legendary Tan'gun.<ref>{{cite book | pages =204 [https://books.google.com/books?id=you5AAAAIAAJ&q=Mausoleum+of+Dangun+north+Korea] | last = G. John| first = Ikenberry|author2=Chung-in Moon | year = 2008 | title = The United States and Northeast Asia: debates, issues, and new order Asia in world politics| publisher = Rowman & Littlefield| isbn = 978-0742556393}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Tengri]]
* [[Korean shamanism|Musok]]
* [[Daejongism]]
* [[History of Korea]]
* [[Religion in Korea]]
* [[Yellow shamanism|Yellow Shamanism]]
* [[Manchu shamanism]]
* [[Shamanism in Siberia]]
* [[Turco-Mongol tradition]]
* [[Tungusic creation myth]]
* [[List of national founders]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
*{{cite book |date=1994 |title=Tangun : Founder-king of Korea (Collection of Treatises) |url=http://www.naenara.com.kp/en/book/download.php?7+7004#.pdf |location=Pyongyang |publisher=[[Foreign Languages Publishing House (North Korea)|Foreign Languages Publishing House]] |oclc=272459364}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Old Chosŏn|House of Gojseon]]||||||name=Tan'gun Wanggŏm}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-new|creation}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of monarchs of Korea|King of Gojseon]]|dynasty=
|years={{circa|2333 BC|2240 BC}}}}
{{s-vac|unknown|unknnext=[[Jizi]]}}
{{s-end}}{{Korean mythology}}{{National personifications}}
{{Legendary progenitors}}

[[Category:Tan'gun| ]]
[[Category:Gojoseon monarchs]]
[[Category:Hongik Ingan]]
[[Category:Korean mythology]]
[[Category:Korean gods]]
[[Category:Mountain gods]]
[[Category:Founding monarchs in Asia]]
[[Category:Legendary progenitors]]
[[Category:Legendary monarchs]]
[[Category:Mythological Korean kings]]
[[Category:Deified Korean people]]
[[Category:Year of death unknown]]