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Whereas most dragons in European mythology are linked to the elements of fire and destruction, dragons in Korean mythology are primarily benevolent beings related to water and agriculture, often considered bringers of rain and clouds. Hence, many Korean dragons are said to have resided in rivers, lakes, oceans, or even deep mountain ponds.
The symbol of the dragon has been used extensively in Korean culture, both in Korean mythology and ancient Korean art.
Ancient texts sometimes mention sentient speaking dragons, capable of understanding complex emotions such as devotion, kindness, and gratitude. One particular Korean legend speaks of the great King Munmu, who on his deathbed wished to become a "Dragon of the East Sea in order to protect Korea".
The Korean dragon is in many ways very similar in appearance to other East Asian dragons such as the Chinese and Japanese dragons. It differs from the Chinese dragon in that it developed a longer beard. Very occasionally a dragon may be depicted as carrying a giant orb known as the yeouiju (여의주), the Korean name for the mythical Cintamani, in its claws or its mouth. It was said that whoever could wield the yeouiju was blessed with the abilities of omnipotence and creation at will, and that only four-toed dragons (who had thumbs with which to hold the orbs) were both wise and powerful enough to wield these orbs, as opposed to the lesser, three-toed dragons.
As with China, the number nine is significant and auspicious in Korea, and dragons were said to have 81 (9×9) scales on their backs, representing yang essence.
Imugi
Korean folk mythology states that most dragons were originally imugis (Korean: 이무기; RR: Imugi), or lesser dragons, which were said to resemble gigantic serpents. There are a few different versions of Korean folklore that describe both what imugis are and how they aspire to become full-fledged dragons. Koreans thought that an imugi could become a true dragon, or yong or mireu, if it caught a Yeouiju which had fallen from heaven. Another explanation states they are hornless creatures resembling dragons who have been cursed and thus were unable to become dragons. By other accounts, an imugi is a proto-dragon which must survive one thousand years in order to become a fully fledged dragon. In either case they are said to be large, benevolent, python-like creatures that live in water or caves, and their sighting is associated with good luck.
The imugi is also called an ishimi (Korean: 이시미), a miri (Korean: 미리), a young-no (youngno, yeongno, yeong-no) (Korean: 영노), a gangcheori (kangcheori) (Korean: 강철이; Hanja: 強鐵) or kkwangcheori (Korean: 꽝철이) or Kkangcheori (Korean: 깡철이), a Bari (Korean: 바리), a Hweryong (Korean: 훼룡; Hanja: 虺龍) or an iryong (Korean: 이룡; Hanja: 螭龍).[1]
In popular culture
In the 2007 South Korean film D-War, two imugi, one benevolent and the other evil, are seen competing for possession of a source of power called the Yeouiju (여의주), by which one of them could become a dragon. Ultimately, the evil imugi is destroyed by his rival moments after the latter had captured the source. Here, the two are shown to be physically different, in that the evil imugi is darker-colored, more slender and distinguished by an inflexible hood similar to that of a cobra, whereas the good imugi is paler, stockier, hoodless, and more closely resembles a python. Narration in the film implies that many imugi exist at a time, whereof few are designated to become a dragon.
An imugi is the main antagonist in the 2020 South Korean drama Tale of the Nine-tailed. In the series, the imugi is portrayed as a serpent in human form with the ability to possess humans, infect people with deadly, contagious diseases, and read people's minds. In the past, he unsuccessfully sought to become a dragon spirit. After his failure, he attempted to take over a kingdom but was killed by the mountain spirit Lee Yeon with aid from the kingdom's princess, Ah-eum. Resurrecting in the present day, he seeks revenge on both the spirit and the reincarnation of Ah-eum, Nam Ji-ha.
Gangcheori
Gangcheori (Hangul: 강철이) is a dragon-shaped monster in Korean mythology that was introduced in the 17th century. It is a monster that has traditionally been popular throughout the country. It also has been called Gangcheol (Hangul: 강철), Kkangcheol (Hangul: 깡철), and Ggoangcheol (Hangul: 꽝철).
One of the earliest records of Gangcheori being mentioned is the Jibong Yuseol (1614). In those days, there was an old saying, "Where Gangcheori goes is like spring even it is fall." When author Lee Soo-kwang asked an old man in the countryside about the origin of the word, the old man told him about a monster called Gangcheori that burns down everything in a few miles.[2]
Korean cockatrice
The Korean cockatrice is known as a gye-lyong (Korean: 계룡; Hanja: 鷄龍), which literally means chicken-dragon; they do not appear as often as dragons. They are sometimes seen as chariot-pulling beasts for important legendary figures or for the parents of legendary heroes. One such legend involves the founding of the Kingdom of Silla, whose Lady Aryeong was said to have been born from a cockatrice egg. It is also the origin of the name for the city of Gyeryong in South Chungcheong province.
Bates, Roy, All About Chinese Dragons, China History Press, 2007.
'Korean Water and Mountain Spirits', in: Ingersoll, Ernest, et al., (2013). The Illustrated Book of Dragons and Dragon Lore. Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. ASIN B00D959PJ0
External links
Podcast: The Meaning of Dragons in Korean Folklore from The Korea Society
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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Korean June 2016 Click show for important translation instructions View a machine translated version of the Korean article Machine translation like DeepL or Google Translate is a useful starting point for translations but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate rather than simply copy pasting machine translated text into the English Wikipedia Consider adding a topic to this template there are already 490 articles in the main category and specifying topic will aid in categorization Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low quality If possible verify the text with references provided in the foreign language article You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Korean Wikipedia article at ko 이무기 see its history for attribution You should also add the template Translated ko 이무기 to the talk page For more guidance see Wikipedia Translation Korean dragons are legendary creatures in Korean mythology and folklore The appearance of the dragon reflects its relation to its East Asian counterparts including the Chinese dragons Korean dragonKorean nameHangul용 룡 미르 Hanja龍Revised Romanizationyong ryong mireu McCune Reischaueryong ryong mirŭ Contents 1 Korean dragons 2 Imugi 2 1 In popular culture 3 Gangcheori 4 Korean cockatrice 5 Gallery 6 Dragons related to the Korean dragon 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksKorean dragons Edit Dragon head ornament Goryeo dynasty Whereas most dragons in European mythology are linked to the elements of fire and destruction dragons in Korean mythology are primarily benevolent beings related to water and agriculture often considered bringers of rain and clouds Hence many Korean dragons are said to have resided in rivers lakes oceans or even deep mountain ponds The symbol of the dragon has been used extensively in Korean culture both in Korean mythology and ancient Korean art Ancient texts sometimes mention sentient speaking dragons capable of understanding complex emotions such as devotion kindness and gratitude One particular Korean legend speaks of the great King Munmu who on his deathbed wished to become a Dragon of the East Sea in order to protect Korea The Korean dragon is in many ways very similar in appearance to other East Asian dragons such as the Chinese and Japanese dragons It differs from the Chinese dragon in that it developed a longer beard Very occasionally a dragon may be depicted as carrying a giant orb known as the yeouiju 여의주 the Korean name for the mythical Cintamani in its claws or its mouth It was said that whoever could wield the yeouiju was blessed with the abilities of omnipotence and creation at will and that only four toed dragons who had thumbs with which to hold the orbs were both wise and powerful enough to wield these orbs as opposed to the lesser three toed dragons As with China the number nine is significant and auspicious in Korea and dragons were said to have 81 9 9 scales on their backs representing yang essence Imugi EditKorean folk mythology states that most dragons were originally imugis Korean 이무기 RR Imugi or lesser dragons which were said to resemble gigantic serpents There are a few different versions of Korean folklore that describe both what imugis are and how they aspire to become full fledged dragons Koreans thought that an imugi could become a true dragon or yong or mireu if it caught a Yeouiju which had fallen from heaven Another explanation states they are hornless creatures resembling dragons who have been cursed and thus were unable to become dragons By other accounts an imugi is a proto dragon which must survive one thousand years in order to become a fully fledged dragon In either case they are said to be large benevolent python like creatures that live in water or caves and their sighting is associated with good luck The imugi is also called an ishimi Korean 이시미 a miri Korean 미리 a young no youngno yeongno yeong no Korean 영노 a gangcheori kangcheori Korean 강철이 Hanja 強鐵 or kkwangcheori Korean 꽝철이 or Kkangcheori Korean 깡철이 a Bari Korean 바리 a Hweryong Korean 훼룡 Hanja 虺龍 or an iryong Korean 이룡 Hanja 螭龍 1 In popular culture Edit In the 2007 South Korean film D War two imugi one benevolent and the other evil are seen competing for possession of a source of power called the Yeouiju 여의주 by which one of them could become a dragon Ultimately the evil imugi is destroyed by his rival moments after the latter had captured the source Here the two are shown to be physically different in that the evil imugi is darker colored more slender and distinguished by an inflexible hood similar to that of a cobra whereas the good imugi is paler stockier hoodless and more closely resembles a python Narration in the film implies that many imugi exist at a time whereof few are designated to become a dragon An imugi is the main antagonist in the 2020 South Korean drama Tale of the Nine tailed In the series the imugi is portrayed as a serpent in human form with the ability to possess humans infect people with deadly contagious diseases and read people s minds In the past he unsuccessfully sought to become a dragon spirit After his failure he attempted to take over a kingdom but was killed by the mountain spirit Lee Yeon with aid from the kingdom s princess Ah eum Resurrecting in the present day he seeks revenge on both the spirit and the reincarnation of Ah eum Nam Ji ha Gangcheori EditGangcheori Hangul 강철이 is a dragon shaped monster in Korean mythology that was introduced in the 17th century It is a monster that has traditionally been popular throughout the country It also has been called Gangcheol Hangul 강철 Kkangcheol Hangul 깡철 and Ggoangcheol Hangul 꽝철 One of the earliest records of Gangcheori being mentioned is the Jibong Yuseol 1614 In those days there was an old saying Where Gangcheori goes is like spring even it is fall When author Lee Soo kwang asked an old man in the countryside about the origin of the word the old man told him about a monster called Gangcheori that burns down everything in a few miles 2 Korean cockatrice EditThe Korean cockatrice is known as a gye lyong Korean 계룡 Hanja 鷄龍 which literally means chicken dragon they do not appear as often as dragons They are sometimes seen as chariot pulling beasts for important legendary figures or for the parents of legendary heroes One such legend involves the founding of the Kingdom of Silla whose Lady Aryeong was said to have been born from a cockatrice egg It is also the origin of the name for the city of Gyeryong in South Chungcheong province Gallery Edit Azure Dragon of the mural of the Goguryeo Tomb Yong Pagoda in Yongdusan Park Dragons related to the Korean dragon EditChinese dragon Druk the Thunder Dragon of Bhutanese mythology Japanese dragon Naga a Hindu and Buddhist creature in South Asian and Southeast Asian mythology Bakunawa a moon eating sea dragon depicted in Philippine mythology Vietnamese dragonSee also EditAn Instinct for Dragons hypothesis about the origin of dragon myths European dragons Korean folklore Korean mythology List of dragons in mythology and folklore Long Mu a woman who was deified as a goddess after raising dragons Radical 212 the dragon radical in Chinese characters also used in traditional Korean writing and in studies of Korean etymologyReferences Edit 우리 삶에 현존하는 영생의 신화 in Korean OhmyNews 2004 01 05 재식 곽 한국괴물백과 워크룸프레스 ISBN 9791189356118 Further reading EditBates Roy Chinese Dragons Oxford University Press 2002 Bates Roy All About Chinese Dragons China History Press 2007 Korean Water and Mountain Spirits in Ingersoll Ernest et al 2013 The Illustrated Book of Dragons and Dragon Lore Chiang Mai Cognoscenti Books ASIN B00D959PJ0External links EditPodcast The Meaning of Dragons in Korean Folklore from The Korea Society Wikimedia Commons has media related to Korean dragon category Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Korean dragon amp oldid 1136489608, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
