The song sung by the nine elders of Kaya when summoning King Suro. The name of the song comes from the name of the place where it was sung, but it also has another connotation; “Kuji” was the name of a place but it means “delicious turtle.” This poem song is one of the oldest [...]
The Korean personification of darkness and evil. He is the antipode of Palk.
To understand more about the character and scope of Korean mythology and folklore, it is necessary to have at least a brief background in the history and geography of the country.
Geography
The Korean peninsula juts out from the mainland in Northeast Asia between China and Japan. This key location has made Korea the target of aggression [...]
The second oldest of three demi-god brothers, appearing in the Samseong myth.
Founder of the Kaya kingdom in the first century CE. According to legend, the area in the south central Korean peninsula was first ruled by nine elders, but there was no king. One day a voice spoke from heaven at a place called Kuji (meaning “delicious turtle” in Korean, it was the name of an [...]
First of the Kim family of Shilla (Kim is one of the three most common surnames in Korea, along with Pak and Lee). According to legend he was found in a golden chest (thus the surname “Kim,” which means “gold” in Korean) that was lodged in a tree, beneath which a white cock crowed. When [...]
The son (Korean: seo-ja, meaning second or lower son) of Hwanin, he descended from heaven to Mount T’aebaek and founded the City of the Gods beneath a sacred tree. From this city he ruled the people and instructed them in agriculture, medicine, justice and other matters. He was hailed by the people as “King of [...]
The emperor-god of heaven and earth. The term is originally from Indian Buddhist scriptures, where it means “Lord of Heaven.” He allowed his son Hwanung to descend to earth and found a city on Mount T’aebaek (near modern P’yeongyang).
First Queen of Kaya. According to legend, while Hwangok was a princess in Ayuta (in central India) she had a dream of King Suro. In her dream she learned that Suro had not yet found a queen, and both her parents agreed that she should go and become Suro’s bride. She arrived in Kaya on [...]
The Korean god of the sky.
Ha-nl: sky, heaven; nim: god.
