Ungnyeo

Ungnyeo is a significant figure in Korean mythology, particularly within the foundation myth of the Gojoseon kingdom. Her story is primarily found in the Samguk Yusa, a historical record from the 13th century.

According to the legend, Ungnyeo was a bear who longed to become human. A celestial being, Hwanung, who was the son of the heavenly ruler Hwanin, descended to Earth and offered the bear and a tiger a chance to achieve their wish. They were given a sprig of mugwort and twenty cloves of garlic and told to remain in a cave for one hundred days, subsisting only on these items. The tiger, impatient and unable to endure the harsh conditions, eventually gave up and left the cave. The bear, however, persevered. After twenty-one days, she successfully transformed into a woman.

This transformed bear-woman was named Ungnyeo. She prayed for a child, and Hwanung, moved by her devotion, temporarily took human form and married her. Ungnyeo then gave birth to a son named Dangun Wanggeom. Dangun is credited with founding Joseon, the first Korean kingdom, in 2333 BCE, making Ungnyeo his mother and a direct ancestor of the Korean people according to this foundational myth. Her story symbolizes the connection between nature, divinity, and the origins of Korean civilization.