Ungnyeo

Hello there. My name is Ungnyeo, and my story begins long, long ago, when the mountains were young and the forests were deep and quiet. I wasn't always a person like you. I was once a bear, living in a cool, dark cave with my friend, a quick-tempered tiger. We spent our days watching the humans who lived in the villages below, admiring how they worked together and cared for one another. More than anything, we wished we could be human, too. We prayed every single day, hoping someone would hear our enormous wish. One afternoon, a brilliant, warm light filled our cave, and Hwanung, the son of the Lord of Heaven, appeared before us in a swirl of clouds and sunshine. He had heard our prayers. This is the story of how my greatest wish came true, the myth of Ungnyeo.

To grant our wish, Hwanung gave us a special challenge. He handed us a bundle of fragrant mugwort that smelled like sweet grass and twenty cloves of spicy garlic. 'Stay inside your cave for one hundred days, eating only this,' he instructed. 'If you are patient and can endure the darkness and hunger, your wish will be granted.' The tiger and I agreed immediately, our hearts pounding with excitement. At first, it was an adventure. But the days in the dark were long and slow, and the tiger grew restless and grumpy. He missed the warm sunshine on his stripes and the thrill of chasing rabbits through the forest. 'I can't do this anymore!' he roared one day, and he ran out of the cave, back into the wild. I stayed. I was very lonely without my friend, but my wish to become human was stronger than my loneliness. I nibbled on the garlic and mugwort and patiently waited. Then, on the 21st day, something truly amazing happened. I felt a strange tingling all over. My thick fur disappeared, my paws stretched and changed into hands and feet, and I stood up tall on two legs. I looked at my reflection in a puddle of water and saw not a bear, but a woman.

I was so incredibly happy to be human, but my happiness was mixed with a new feeling of loneliness. I was the only one of my kind. I wandered out into the forest and found a beautiful, sacred birch tree with bark as white as snow. I knelt beneath its branches and prayed again, this time for a family to share my life with. Hwanung, who had been watching from the heavens, heard my new prayer. He was moved by my patience in the cave and the kindness in my heart. He came down to Earth, but this time he took a human form so he could be with me, and we were married. It wasn't long before we had a wonderful, healthy son. We named him Dangun. Dangun grew up to be strong, wise, and a great leader. He founded the very first kingdom of Korea, which was called Gojoseon. My story is told to children in Korea to this day. It teaches them about patience and the strength it takes to make a dream come true. It is a story about beginnings, and how even from a quiet wish in a dark cave, a great nation can be born.