Seonangshin () is the patron deity of the village in

Korean mythology Korean mythology () is the group of myths told by historical and modern Koreans. There are two types: the written, literary mythology in traditional histories, mostly about the founding monarchs of List of monarchs of Korea, various historical k ...

. As the goddess of villages, boundaries, and war, the deity is one of the better-known Korean deities.

Worship

The goddess was believed to embody the Seonangdang, a stone tower, large stone, house, or holy tree where people prayed to Seonangshin. Travelers built Seonangdangs on trails, and other travelers added three stones to the Seonangdang. After adding three stones, the travelers prayed for safety on their journey. Other travelers left an object that he (or she) owned, or spat on the Seonangdang, before praying. She was regarded to defend against disease and misfortune and bring luck and plenty to the travelers or village. Most Seonangshin are

female An organism's sex is female ( symbol: ♀) if it produces the ovum (egg cell), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete (sperm cell) during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females and ...

; however, a few are a pair of female and male deities. In the Golmaegi Seonangdang, a Seonangdang in Gangwon Province, it is believed that two Seonangshin, a

god In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

and a

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...

, reside as a family within one Seonangdang. The Seonangshins of the Golmaegi Seonangdang are also the gods of plenty. In fishing villages, there is a deity called Baeseonang, the Seonangshin of

boats A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

. She is believed to defend the boats from sinking. Certain records show the Malseonang, a characteristic male form of Seonangshin. The Malseonang is a war deity, with a large sword in one hand and reining a flying horse in the other. He is dressed in full armor from hear to toe, with a bow and

quiver A quiver is a container for holding arrows or Crossbow bolt, bolts. It can be carried on an archer's body, the bow, or the ground, depending on the type of shooting and the archer's personal preference. Quivers were traditionally made of leath ...

on his back and a helmet on his head. He was believed to kill Gwishin, or evil spirits, with his blade. The

Gut (ritual) ''Gut'' (, also romanised ''kut'' or ''goot'') are the rites performed by Korean shamans, involving offerings and sacrifices to gods, spirits and ancestors. They are characterised by rhythmic movements, songs, oracles and prayers. These rites a ...

dedicated to Seonangshin was done every three years; however, smaller rites were given to her annually. The Seonanggut was the second Gut in the Jeseok Bonpuli ritual (First: Bujeonggut, ''cleansing Gut'', Second: Seonanggut, ''Gut of Seonang'', Third: Josanggut, ''Ancestor Gut'', Fourth: Seongjugut, ''Gut of Seongju'', Fifth: Jishingut, ''Gut of Jishin'', Sixth: Shijungut, ''Gut of Dangeum Agi'', Seventh: Sanshingut, ''Gut of the Sanshin'', Eighth: Yongwanggut, ''Gut of the

Dragon King The Dragon King, also known as the Dragon God, is a Chinese water and weather god. He is regarded as the dispenser of rain, commanding over all bodies of water. He is the collective personification of the ancient concept of the '' lóng'' in ...

'', Ninth: Chukwongut, ''Praying Gut'', Tenth: Georipuli, ''Gut of the Gwishin'')

In Mythology

According to the ''Seongjugut'', the Seonangshin are the children of the evil Sojinhang. The patron of the house, the deity Seongjushin, made the children of Sojinhang turn into Seonangshin, who had to feed on saliva. This origin of Seonangshin shows that in

, Seonangshin was considered to be one of the weaker deities, especially as the ''Seongjugut'' mentions that Seonangshin are 'lowly soldiers'.Alive Korean Mythology, page 265

References

{{Korean mythology Korean mythology War goddesses Fertility gods Tutelary deities

Worship

In Mythology

See also

References