History Myth / KoreanMythology

* PetalPower: Seocheonkkotbaat (Seocheon Flower Field) has flowers that you wouldn't see in your local flower garden. Here's a few:

** This was even used as means of ''dueling''; but instead of [[BalefulPolymorph turning the other into animals]], they fought by [[ShapeShifterShowdown turning themselves into an animal superior than the other]]. For example, when Habaek turned into a fish and a pheasant, Haemosu chased him by turning into an otter and a hawk.

** Samguk Yusa includes many tales of [[FantasticFoxes foxes]], dragons and tigers taking human form. One Silla story involves a man named Kim Hyun falling in love with a cute girl (actually a female tiger) he met at the festival. However, her three brothers had killed too many humans that Heaven decided to punish them, but the girl said that [[HeroicSacrifice she would instead become a scapegoat]], and told Kim Hyun to kill her the next day, saying: "If I have to die, then let me be killed by the man who loves me" . Kim Hyun had no choice but to do it (in tears), and after getting the reward from the King for killing a Tiger, used it to build a Temple (named Howeonsa, meaning 'Temple of the Tigers wish') in memory of his love.

** Sadly, they were also [[RealityEnsues common target of political purges]]. Actually, their social status could be considered as {{Blessed With Suck}} - despite their education they doesn't belong to the Yangban (scholar-officals) caste, and thus doesn't have any political power to protect themselves. That make it easy to turn them into {{The Scapegoat}} for any kind of troubles (though many lower-class folks considered them {{Inspirational Martyr}} anyway)

For more infos and Tropes of Gods(Shin), Heroes, Monsters, Ghosts and other supernatural beings, check the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/KoreanMythology Character Sheet]] out .

* BadassBookworm : There are ''many'' stories invoving Seonbis (term for scholars and students of the Joseon period), killing gigantic serpents, Gumihos (Nine-tailed foxes), and other monsters with a bow and an arrow.

* '''Bari-degi''' (meaning 'abandoned child'. also called 'Bari'): Born as the [[EverythingsbetterwithPrincesses seventh princess]] of a kingdom, she was abandoned as a baby because her parents had desperately wanted a son, and she let them down. Adopted by a kindly old couple, Bari learned the truth about herself when she was 15 years old. After meeting her real parents, she found that they had become fatally ill, due to [[LaserGuidedKarma Heaven punishing them for abandoning their own daughter]]. Instead of bellowing in anger over them, she decided to journey to the Seocheon (another name for 'Afterlife') and get a cure for her parents. After a long journey (hindered by all sorts of ghosts on the way) [[SweetPollyOliver disguised as a boy]], Princess Bari finally arrived at Seocheon, but the guardian of the water of life (the only cure of her parents illness) said that he would only let her in when she marries him. Bari accepts, and she brings him three sons. After some years the family returns to Bari's kingdom, but upon arriving, Bari finds that her parents have long died, and their bodies are heading for burial. Bari was devastated, but she quicky regains herself, and using the Revival Flowers and the water of life, revives her parents. After that, she lived a long and happy life with her family and parents, and after death, became the goddess of guiding the dead to the afterlife. She is considered to be the first Mudang, and the song that chronicles her story is very important among Mudangs.

Called ''Shin'' (meaning 'spirit' or 'deity', an equivalent of the [[Myth/JapaneseMythology Kami]]), they are supernatural entities that influence people, and are served by the Mudang (female shamans) in rituals called Gut (pronounced 'goot'). It should be noted that in Korean mythology, which god is charged with which area of responsibility slightly varies with each tale (for example, the Goddess of Birth is Samshin-Halmang or Danggeum-aegi, depending on version). And the level of power differs with each (e.g. gods of nature are considered more powerful than the guardians of the house).

* '''Jacheongbi''': A human girl appearing in a myth of Jeju island(SouthKorea's largest island). She fell in love with a godly youth named Mun-doryeong (who came down to earth from Heaven to 'study abroad'), but [[{{Tsundere}} pretended she didn't like him at all]]. Instead [[SweetPollyOliver she disguised herself as a boy]] and studied with him in a school for three years, Mun-doryeong none the wiser that his 'male' friend is actually the cute girl he met when he first arrived at the Earth. After she finally spilled the secret(by calling him an idiot), Mun-doryeong immediately confessed his feelings for her. But things took a bad turn when Mun-doryeong were forced back into Heaven, because the couple's families disapproved of their relationships. Jacheongbi didn't give up though, and she ventured into Heaven to meet Mun-doryeong again. After passing many ordeals(like crossing a red-hot iron bridge filled with spikes), she was accepted by the Mun family and became a goddess of the earth and farming.

* '''Jacheongbi''': A human girl appearing in a myth of Jeju island(SouthKorea's largest island). She fell in love with a godly youth named Mun-doryeong(who came down to earth from Heaven to 'study abroad'), but [[{{Tsundere}} pretended she didn't like him at all]]. Instead [[SweetPollyOliver she disguised herself as a boy]] and studied with him in a school for three years, Mun-doryeong none the wiser that his 'male' friend is actually the cute girl he met when he first arrived at the Earth. After she finally spilled the secret(by calling him an idiot), Mun-doryeong immediately confessed his feelings for her. But things took a bad turn when Mun-doryeong were forced back into Heaven, because the couple's families disapproved of their relationships. Jacheongbi didn't give up though, and she ventured into Heaven to meet Mun-doryeong again. After passing many ordeals(like crossing a red-hot iron bridge filled with spikes), she was accepted by the Mun family and became a goddess of the earth and farming.

* '''Bari-degi''' (meaning 'abandoned child'. also called 'Bari'): Born as the [[EverythingsbetterwithPrincesses seventh princess]] of a kingdom, she was abandoned as a baby because her parents had desperately wanted a son, and she let them down. Adopted by a kindly old couple, Bari learned the truth about her when she was 15 years old. After meeting her real parents, she found that they had become fatally ill, due to [[LaserGuidedKarma Heaven punishing them for abandoning their own daughter]]. Instead of bellowing in anger over them, she decided to journey to the Seocheon (another name for 'Afterlife') and get a cure for her parents. After a long journey (hindered by all sorts of ghosts on the way) [[SweetPollyOliver disguised as a boy]], Princess Bari finally arrived at Seocheon, but the guardian of the water of life (the only cure of her parents illness) said that he would only let her in when she marries him. Bari accepts, and she brings him three sons. After some years the family returns to Bari's kingdom, but upon arriving, Bari finds that her parents have long died, and their bodies are heading for burial. Bari was devastated, but she quicky regains herself, and using the Revival Flowers and the water of life, revives her parents. After that, she lived a long and happy life with her family and parents, and after death, became the goddess of guiding the dead to the afterlife. She is considered to be the first Mudang, and the song that chronicles her story is very important among Mudangs.

It was during this time that a Tiger and a Bear approached him, [[HumanityEnsues wishing to become humans]]. Hwanung gave both of them a handful of mugwort and twenty cloves or garlic, with which they had to stave off their hunger while remaining inside a dark cave without seeing the sunlight for 100 days. The tiger ran away before the ordeal was through, but the bear remained patient and on the twenty-first day turned into a beautiful woman. The woman was given the name Ungnyeo (Bear-woman).

** [[http://www.badassoftheweek.com/yushin.html General Kim Yu-shin]], a legendary Silla general who united the Three Kingdoms, had a sword named Cheonryonggeom, 'Heavenly Dragon Sword' (The name itself doesn't appear in official records, but legend states so). When Kim Yushin was a youth, he prayed to the heaven to give him the power to unite the warring three kingdoms, and after three days, Heaven answered his prayer by sending two beams of light from two stars to shine on his sword(this is an ''official'' record, appearing in Samguk-sagi). According to legend, Kim tested his blessed sword by slicing a nearby rock in half(that rock is still remaining as a popular tourist attraction, by the way), and it could even flew from its scabbard, landing into Kim Yushin's hand when he was furious.

Not long after her transformation, Ungnyeo began to crave a child, and thus [[GodInHumanForm Hwanung took human form for a short time]], and through him she gave birth to a son. This son was Dangun, forefather of the Korean people. Dangun established a kingdom he called Asadal, meaning "place where the morning sun shines". This name was later changed to Joseon (now called Gojoseon, or Ancient Joseon to distinguish it from the later Joseon kingdom). Legend has it that when Dangun was 1,908 years of age, abandoned the human world and became a Sanshinryeong('Mountain God').

Called ''Shin'' (meaning 'spirit'or 'deity', and equivalent of the [[Myth/JapaneseMythology Kami]]), they are supernatural entities that influence people, and are served by the Mudang (female shamans) in rituals called Gut (pronounced 'goot'). It should be noted that in Korean mythology, which god is charged with which area of responsibility slighly varies with each tale (for example, the Goddess of Birth is Samshin-Halmang or Danggeum-aegi, depending on versions). And the level of power differs with each (e.g. gods of nature are considered more powerful than the guardians of the house).

* '''Chilsungshin''': Seven gods of the Great Dipper. They bless people with good luck and longevity, and thus one of the most commonly worshipped gods of Koreans (their worshipping dates back to ''Bronze age''). They are usually depicted as seven brothers, wearing government uniform or Monk's attire (since they are sometimes called Seven Buddhas). However, some descriptions list them as three brothers and four sisters, or seven sisters.
* '''Gataekshin''': Guardians of the house. They also bless people with good luck, and people offer them small food in return. Accoriding to stories, they were one family, killed in ways associated with various household materials and rooms(due to the concubine's jealousy and other factors), and became guardians of them(e.g. the concubine in question hanged herself in the restroom, so she became Cheukshin, guardian of the toilet). They also protect the house's inhabitants from ghosts, diseases and premature death, but will leave when the inhabitants become too wicked or doesn't respect them.

** Since anyone with incredible feat can become Shins, some modern Mudangs worship famous real-life people. The List includes [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_Sun-sin Yi Sun-sin]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choi_Yong General Choi-Yong]], Dangun, Buddha, '''{{Jesus}}''' and '''Douglas Macarthur'''(after the UsefulNotes/KoreanWar, Macarthur was considered as a hero by many Koreans). This is parodied in [[http://cartoon.media.daum.net/webtoon/viewer/11928 this]] Korean Webtoon Dosa-land('Taoist-land'), where the protagonist's mother is a Mudang worshipping 'Doug'.

Called ''Shin'' (meaning 'spirit'or 'deity', and equivalent of the [[JapaneseMythology Kami]]), they are supernatural entities that influence people, and are served by the Mudang (female shamans) in rituals called Gut (pronounced 'goot'). It should be noted that in Korean mythology, which god is charged with which area of responsibility slighly varies with each tale (for example, the Goddess of Birth is Samshin-Halmang or Danggeum-aegi, depending on versions). And the level of power differs with each (e.g. gods of nature are considered more powerful than the guardians of the house).

* '''Sang-je (Heavenly Emperor)''': The supreme ruler of the Heavens, also called [[IHaveManyNames Hanuelnim, Hwanin, Cheonwang, Cheonjiwang (all meaning 'Heavenly Ruler')]]. He is often compared with the [[ChineseMythology Jade Emperor]], since their roles are similar. He oversees humans and gods, and sometimes elects humans to become new gods.

Similar to the stories of [[EgyptianMythology Osiris]] and [[IncaMythology Manco Capac]], in that they all deal with 'culture heroes' teaching humans on how to live.

* '''Yeomra-Daewang ('King Yeomra the Great')''': Supreme ruler and fifth of the ten Kings of the underworld (Shi-wang), who judge the sins of the deceased and decide what to do with them. He is the first person to have faced death (as in the story of Yama in {{Hindu Mythology}}. In fact, Yeom-ra is the Korean pronounciation of Yama). Like every other powerful god, he has many powers, including shapeshifting, [[BackFromtheDead reviving dead people]], etc.