Korean mythology consists of national legends and folk-tales which come from all over the Korean Peninsula. The origin may be a blend of Korean shamanism, Buddhist, Chinese myths, Confucian and Taoist legends and myths. The legends may also vary gre...
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Haemosu was the son of Cheonje (Celestial Em- peror), who descended to earth to rule the human world, wearing a hat made of crow feathers on his head; carrying on his waist the dragon light sword ( yong gwang geom); riding a carriage pulled by five dragons; and accompanied by a hundred men riding swans. The region from which he descended had originally been ruled by Haeburu. Haemosu attended to state affairs in the morning and ascended to the heavens in the evening, and people called him Cheonwangrang (Celestial King). One day Haemosu encounters, by the waters of Ungsim Pond, Habaek’s three daughters, who had emerged from Cheongha, which is Amnok (Yalu) River, under Mt. Ungsim, north of his fortress. Haemosu hosts a gathering for them with drinks with an aim to acquire a wife, and after getting them drunk, captured Yuhwa, one of the daughters. Upon receiving this news, Habaek rushes to the shore, furious, and engages in a duel against Haemosu, to see if Haemosu is really the son of the Celestial Emperor. When Habaek transformed himself into a carp, Haemosu turned into an otter to chase after him; when Habaek turned into a deer Haemosu turned into a wild dog; when Habaek turned into a pheasant, Haemosu turned into a hawk and attacked.
Finally Habaek accepted that Haemosu was the son of the Celestial Emperor, and permitted him to wed his daughter Yuhwa. Worried that Haemosu might leave Yuhwa behind, Habaek gets Haemosu drunk and puts the couple in a leather cart, which is then loaded onto the five-dragon carriage to take them to the heavens. Haemosu, however, wakes up before the carriage leaves the water and escapes from the leather cart cutting a hole using Yuhwa’s golden hairpin, then ascends alone to the celestial kingdom. Habaek, furious that Yuhwa has brought dishonor to the family, pulls out her lips until they hang three ja long, and abandons her on the shore of Ubalsu. Yuhwa gets caught in a fishing net that belongs to the fisherman Gangnyeokbuchu, who pulls her out and offers her to King Geumwa. Yuhwa could not speak due to her drooping lips, and only after her lips were cut three times, she was finally able to to speak. The king, realizing that she is the wife of the celestial prince, decides to keep her in the queen’s palace. There, Yuhwa is impregnated when a ray of sunlight shines on her body, and she gives birth to Jumong, who grows up to become the founder of the kingdom of Goguryeo.
