Haneunim

File:Korea-Samseonggung 11-07406.JPG

Hwanin represented at the Samseonggung.

Haneunim or Hanunim (Korean: ; lit. Lord of Heaven; Heavenly LordTemplate:Category handler)Template:Efn is the sky god in Korean mythology.Template:Sfnb In the more Buddhist-aligned parts of these religions, he is identified with Indra. In the more Taoist-aligned parts of these religions, he is identified with Okhwang Sangje (; ; lit. Jade EmperorTemplate:Category handler). Under that name, he is a deity in the Poncheongyo religion.

Dangun myth

Dangun is traditionally considered to be the grandson of Hwanin, the "Heavenly King", and founder of the Korean nation.Template:Sfnb Myths similar to that of Dangun are found in AinuTemplate:Sfnb and Siberian cultures.Template:Sfnb

The myth starts with prince Hwanung ("Heavenly Prince"), son of Hwanin. The prince asked his father to grant him governance over Korea.Template:Sfnb Hwanin accepted, and Hwanung was sent to Earth bearing three Heavenly Seals and accompanied by three thousand followers.Template:Sfnb The prince arrived under the sindansu (; ; lit. Holy Tree of SandalwoodTemplate:Category handler)Template:Sfnb on the holy mountain, where he founded his holy city.Template:Sfnb

At the time of his reign, UngnyeoTemplate:Sfnb—bear—and a tiger were living in a cave near the holy city, praying earnestly that their wish to become part of humankind might be fulfilled.Template:Sfnb Ungnyeo patiently endured weariness and hunger, and after twenty-one days she was transformed into a woman, while the tiger ran away for it could not tolerate the effort.Template:Sfnb The woman Ungnyeo was overjoyed, and visiting the sandalwood city she prayed that she might become the mother of a child.Template:Sfnb

Ungnye's wish was fulfilled, so that she became the queen and gave birth to a prince who was given the royal name of Dangun: the "Sandalwood King".Template:Sfnb Dangun reigned as the first human king of Korea, giving to his kingdom the name of Joseon, "Land of the Morning Calm", in 2333 BC.Template:Sfnb

According to some scholars, the name Dangun is related to the Turko-Mongol Tengri ("Heaven"),Template:Sfnb while the bear is a symbol of the Big Dipper (i.e. Ursa Major), itself a symbol of the supreme God in many Eurasian cultures. Later in the myth, Dangun becomes the Sansin, the "Mountain God" (metaphorically of civilising growth, prosperity).Template:Sfnb

See also

• Chinese theology
  • Tao
  • Three Pure Ones
  • Tian—Shangdi

Counterparts of Haneullim in other Asian cultures

• Amenominakanushi, the Japanese counterpart
• Indra/Trimurti, the Hindu counterpart
• Jade Emperor, the Chinese counterpart
• Ông Trời, the Vietnamese counterpart
• Śakra/Adi Buddha, the Buddhist counterpart
• Tengri, the Turko-Mongolian counterpart
• Thagyamin, the Burmese Buddhist representation of Śakra, a counterpart of the Jade Emperor

Sources

• Volume I: The Ancient Eurasian World and the Celestial Pivot, Volume II: Representations and Identities of High Powers in Neolithic and Bronze China, Volume III: Terrestrial and Celestial Transformations in Zhou and Early-Imperial China.