Korean Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Korean Literature - Essay Example cause the she-bear followed all the instructions of Hwanung, which involved eating sacred magworts, and being in the darkness for a period of a hundred days. The two are compared because the both developed human forms. The she-bear transformed into a woma, and also the Holy Hwanung changed into a human male. The two procreated, and the resulting son was referred to as Tangun Wangg’om. Korean shamanism entails the ancient religion and beliefs of the Korean society. In the ancient belief, the priest is referred to as the mudang if female and the baksu if he is male. The mudang has the main responsibility of being an intermediary between the gods and the people through rituals. The spiritual intermediaries also aim at solving problems that humans experience, in the course of their development. The central concept in the Korean Shamanistic practices entails the worship of Hwanin, also known as Haneullim. Hwanin is considered the source of the entire universe, which comprises all the beings and gods that exist in nature. The mu is traditionally illustrated as the descendants of the son of the heavenly king. This investiture is generally passed through the princely lineage. But, certain significant myths in the Korean Shamanistic beliefs connect the heritage of the ancient belief to Dangun. Dangun is considered as the male heir to the Heavenly King, also the initiator or the founder of the ancient Korean nation. Korean Shamanism is closely linked to; the Japanese Shinto, Siberian Mongolian, Chinese Wuism, and Manchurian beliefs. Anthropological studies illustrate that the ancient Korean god Dangun, has a lot of similarities to; the prince, the Ural-Altaic Tengri, and the shaman. Likewise, mudang is closely associated with Japanese miko and Ryukyuan yuta (Hogarth 117). The myth illustrates adequate relationship between the northern China and Korea, before the formation of the Han dynasty. Ancient Korea and Yen state illustrates adequate political influence of Old