Haneullim

thumb|150px|Hwanin represented at the Samseonggung.
thumb|150px|Grounds of the Samseonggung, a shrine for the worship of Hwanin, Hwanung, and Dangun.
Haneullim ("Lord of Heaven"), also spelled Hanalnim, Hananim, Hanunim, Hwanin (in the Dangun myth), also called Sangje, Sangjenim ("Highest Emperor") or simply Haneul ("Heaven") or Cheon ("Heaven", in Sino-Korean), or Cheonsin ("God of Heaven"),All names listed: Sung-wook Hong, 2009. p. 39 is the concept of God in Korean Sinism—the Korean native religion and shamanismJung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18—, and in other religions derived from it (for example Cheondoism and Jeungsanism).Sung-wook Hong, 2009. p. 39 In some sects he is called Okhwangsangje ("Great Jade Emperor" or "Great Shining Emperor").
Haneullim etymologically means "source [im, in] of all being [haneul, hwan]", indicating the fountain of the universe, the supreme being, the supreme mind.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18 Scholars say that this belief is the heart of all religions in Korea, and it is deeply rooted in the mind of the Korean people.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18
==Dangun myth==
In Korean myth, Dangun is the son of Hwanin, the "Heavenly King" and initiator of the Korean nation,Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 13 as well as ancestor of all mudang.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 17
The myth starts with prince Hwanung ("Heavenly Prince"), son of Hwanin. The prince asked his father to grant him government over Korea.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 14 Hwanin accepted, and Hwanung was sent to Earth bearing three Heavenly Seals and accompanied by three thousand followers.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 14 The prince arrived under the holy tree of sandalwood on the holy mountain, where he founded his holy city.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 14
At the time of his reign, a bear and a tiger were living in a cave near the humans, praying earnestly that their wish might be granted.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 14 The bear patiently endured weariness and hunger, and after twenty-one days she was transformed into a beautiful woman, while the tiger ran away for it could not tolerate the effort.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 14 The woman was overjoyed, and visiting the sandalwood she prayed that she might become the mother of a child.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 14
Her wish was appreciated, so that she became the queen and gave birth to a prince who was given the royal name of Dangun, the "Sandalwood King".Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 14 Dangun reigned as the first human king of Korea, giving the kingdom the name of Joseon, "Land of the Morning Calm".Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 14
Dangun was the first shaman, intermediary between the human plain and Haneullim, to whom he worshipped and prayed on the behalf of his people.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 17 Also the importance of the worship of other ancestors and gods is a mean of communion with the fountain of the universe, Haneullim.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 17 The name Dangun might be derived from the Ural-Altaic Tengri;Jung Young Lee, 1981. pp. 17-18 in some provinces of Korea the shaman is still called nowadays Tangur Tangur-ari.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18 Later in the myth Dangun becomes the Sansin, the "God of the Mountain" (of growth, prosperity).Jung Young Lee, 1981. pp. 16-18
==Haneullim trinity==
Sinist theology contains a triune idea of God in the myth of Dangun, the third form of Hwanin.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18 With Dangun as Sansin, the godly trinity of the Korean religion represents three generations of Haneullim, the Heavenly King.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18 Hwanin represents the transcendent source, with "haneul", "hwan" indicating "being" or the "Heaven", and "im", "in" the cause of it.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18 Hwanung, second form of Hwanin, is the god of the middle realm; he occupies the central realm between Heaven and Earth.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18
Dangun, the "Sandalwood King", is the god of the Earth.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 18 As Sansin, the "God of the Mountain", he represents the center of the cosmos reaching up to Heaven.Jung Young Lee, 1981. pp. 18-19 Where the heavenly princely lineage was incarnated, the "cosmic mountain" was formed, and the sandalwood became the "holy tree", all aspects fundamental to the shamanic experiences as Mircea Eliade highlights.Jung Young Lee, 1981. p. 19 The concept is also explained in terms of Hwanin the God-Father creator of the universe, Hwanung the God-Teacher or the order of nature, and Dangun the God-King, the human king who directs the kingdom according to the natural order, making well-being.Lee Chi-ran, pp. 13-14
==See also==
* Tengri
* Tian
* Tao
* Three Pure Ones
* Amenominakanushi
==References==
==Sources==
* Jung Young Lee. Korean Shamanistic Rituals. Mouton De Gruyter, 1981. ISBN 9027933782
* Lee Chi-ran. Chief Director, Haedong Younghan Academy. The Emergence of National Religions in Korea.
* Sung-wook Hong. Naming God in Korea. Wipf & Stock, 2009. ISBN 160608626X
Category:God
Category:Religion in Korea
Category:Korean shamanism
Category:Korean mythology