October 3rd is Gaecheonjeol, which translates to the day the heaven opened. It is Korea’s National Foundation Day, the day when the Korean people first founded the nation. The day is believed to be a celebration of October 3rd in 2,333 B.C. when Dangun단군 supposedly founded Gojoseon고조선, the earliest kingdom in Korean history. However, it is more reasonable to say that the day actually marks lunar October 3rd in 2,457 B.C., which is 124 years earlier than Dangun’s foundation of Gojoseon. That’s when Hwanwung환웅, the father of Dangun and presumably the son of God, is said to have opened up the heavens and come down to Mt. Taebaek태백. But both Dangun and Hwanwung are mythical figures, so a 124-year difference between the two dates doesn’t mean all that much from today’s practical perspective, because meanings rather than facts are more important in myths. On traditional holidays folk bands would tour villages to perform binari비나리 or ritualistic music that supposedly brings peace and good fortune to homes. The binari song also begins with the word “cheongae천개” or “the opening of the heavens.” Here’s master singer Lee Kwang-soo이광수 singing binari.

Binari/ Sung by Lee Kwang-soo

The oldest account of the Dangun myth can be found in Samgukyusa삼국유사, a Goryeo-era history book written by Buddhist monk Ilyeon일연. Hwanin환인, a god who ruled over the heavens, found out that his son Hwanwung wanted to lead the people down on earth. So he sent his son to Mt. Taebaek with three objects that would help mankind. It is still unclear exactly what those three objects were, but they probably represented godly authority and miraculous powers. Hwanwung came down to a tree called Shindansu신단수 at the summit of Mt. Taebaek with three-thousand of his men and built a city. The tree was considered a holy ground which bridged the heavens and earth. Several other myths from other countries feature the same type of tree, like the tree of life, giving us a reason to believe that there existed some common elements in human imagination, regardless of where the mythical narratives originated. Hwanwung ruled this world with three associates – Pungbaek in charge of the winds, Wusa of the rain, and Wunsa of the clouds – and took care of roughly 360 matters pertaining to human lives, such as crops, lifespan, diseases, and the concept of good and evil. Then one day a bear and a tiger asked Hwanwung to turn them into human beings. Hwanwung told them that if they wanted to become human, they should spend 100 days in a dark cave, surviving on only a bunch of mugworts and twenty bulbs of garlic. It must have been an unbearable ordeal for the carnivores like the bear and the tiger. But strong faith always makes the impossible possible.

With Hope / Geomungo played by Jang Eun-sun

That was “With Hope” from “A Tale of the Millennium” performed by geomungo player Jang Eun-sun. The Korean people had traditionally worshipped the tiger, but it was the bear that succeeded in completing Hwanwung’s seemingly impossible task. The bear transformed into a woman named Wungnyeo웅녀, who married Hwanwung and gave birth to Dangun, the founder of Gojoseon. Dangun is said to have ruled over Gojoseon for nearly two millennia and became a sansin or a mountain god. This myth is absurd from today’s scientific perspective. But sometimes such a myth provides important clues to the ancient world shaped by our ancestors. The Dangun myth, in particular, gave Korean people something to rally around whenever the nation faced a crisis. Myths are not just old, fanciful stories but something that affects people’s lives today. Many Koreans are troubled by what goes on in the world these days, but hopefully they find comfort and courage from the stories of Hwanwung and Dangun, whose love for mankind powered all of their actions. Today’s Sounds of Korea will conclude with Seongjupuri성주풀이 performed by Nam Hae-seong.

Seongjupuri/ By Nam Hae-seong