Dangun | |
![]() Portrait of Dangun (by Chae Yong-sin, 19–20th century) | |
Korean name | |
---|---|
Hangul | 단군왕검 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Dangun Wanggeom |
McCune–Reischauer | Tan'gun Wanggŏm |
IPA | [tan.ɡun waŋ.ɡʌm] |
Dangun or Tangun (Korean: 단군; Hanja: 檀君; [tan.ɡun]), also known as Dangun Wanggeom (단군왕검; 檀君王儉; [tan.ɡun waŋ.ɡʌm]), was the legendary founder and first king of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom. He founded the first kingdom around present-day Liaoning province in Northeast China and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. He is said to be the "grandson of heaven",[1] "son of a bear",[2] and to have founded the first kingdom in 2333 BC. The earliest recorded version of the Dangun legend appears in the 13th-century Samguk Yusa, which cites Korea's lost historical record, Gogi (고기; 古記; lit. 'Ancient Record') and China's Book of Wei.[3]
Koreans regard the day when Dangun founded Gojoseon, Korea's first dynasty, as a national holiday and call it Gaecheonjeol. The Gaecheonjeol is on 3 October. It is a religious anniversary started by Daejongism (대종교; 大倧教), worshipping Dangun. Gaecheonjeol is a day to commemorate Dangun's founding of Gojoseon, but 3 October is not the date when Gojoseon was founded.
Many Korean historians regard Dangun and Tengri as being etymologically identical.[4]