Creatures: Korean dragon (龍)

Monday, January 21, 2008

Korean dragon (龍)

Korean dragon (龍)

Alternative Names (異名):
龍(Hanja), 룡(Hangul), 용, ryong, yong, 미르(Traditional Korean) ▶ Korean dragon
龍(Traditional Chinese), 龙(Simplified Chinese), Lóng(Hanyu Pinyin) ▶ Chinese dragon
龍(Kyūjitai), 竜(Shinjitai), りゅう(Hiragana), たつ ▶ Japanese dragon
龍(Hán tự), rồng(Quốc ngữ), long ▶ Vietnamese dragon

The Korean dragon is a certain type of dragon associated with Korean mythology. Like its peers, the Korean dragon is culture-specific, which means it has unique properties that differentiate it from dragons in other cultures. It is generally comparable to its Chinese counterpart in appearance and cultural significance.

Korean dragons

The Korean dragon is derived from Chinese dragon. Whereas most dragons in Western mythology are generally related to the elements of fire and destruction, dragons in Korean mythology are mostly viewed as 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 ponds within mountains.

The symbol of the dragon has been used extensively, both in Korean mythology and ancient Korean art. Politically, the dragon represents the Emperor, who himself was associated with rain and agriculture. Hence, those who used the title of King (Wang) were forbidden from wearing dragon adornments; the Fenghuang is the creature traditionally associated with a king.

Ancient texts sometimes mention sentient speaking dragons, capable of understanding such 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 was said to have certain specific traits: no wings, for example, in addition to a long beard. It is in many ways very similar in appearance to dragons of Chinese and Japanese mythology, which is not hard to understand since they all have the same Chinese origin.

Very occasionally a dragon may be depicted as carrying a dragon orb known as the Yeo-ui-ju (여의주) in one or more of its claws. It was said that whoever could wield the Yeo-ui-ju was blessed with the abilities of omnipotence and creation at will, and that only four-toed dragons (those which had thumbs to hold the orbs) were both wise and powerful enough to wield these orbs (as opposed to the lesser, three-toed dragons).

As with Chinese dragons, the number nine is significant with Korean dragons and they are said to have 81 (9x9) scales on their backs.

Imoogi (이무기)

A close relative to the dragon is a native Korean mythological creature known as an Imugi. There are different stories about the Imoogi: Some, for example, say that they are hornless creatures resembling dragons but have been cursed, and thus were unable to become dragons. Other say that 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 the waters or caves. Their sighting is associated with good luck.

In the Korean film titled D-War, two Imoogi were seen, one of which took a dragon orb and became a dragon. In this film, however, one of the Imoogi (the one that failed to become a dragon) was portrayed as totally evil, and was killed by the one that became a dragon.

Korean cockatrice

The Korean cockatrice is known as a kye-ryong (계룡), 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 princess was said to have been born from a cockatrice egg.

See also

Chinese mythology
Fenghuang
Culture of China
Dragon
Dragon boat race
Dragon dance
Dragon Kung Fu
Imperial guardian lions
Lion dance
Persian dragon
European dragon
Japanese dragon
Korean dragon
Vietnamese dragon
List of dragons in mythology and folklore
Long Mu (Dragon's Mother)
An Instinct for Dragons, hypothesis about the origin of dragon myths.