The Legend of Tan‘gun — The Bear-Woman’s Son

Hwanung came down from heaven
a son of the Creator, this was his thing
he brought along three thousand friends,
ruled the world, and declared himself king

Settling on the Korean peninsula,
he was godlike in his wisdom and acumen
then one day he learned a tiger and bear
desired themselves to be human

He told them he would grant their wish
if they consumed only garlic and wormwood
and stayed out of the sun for 100 days
the tiger and bear believed they could

They ate the plants and went to their caves
but the tiger grew bored and returned to the sun
a tiger he remains, while the bear then slept
for 100 days and awoke as a human woman

Bear-woman was happy, but she wanted more,
prayed for a son beneath the sandalwood tree
her prayer was answered, Tan’gun was born,
the first human king, this filled her with glee

Tan’gun ruled the world for twelve hundred years
taught his people to live in harmony with the land
Kija then arrived to take his place, so Tan’gun
returned to the spirit world, a legend quite grand

——

The Legend of Tan‘gun is probably the best known example of Korean folklore. The story is told to every Korean about the early history of Korea and its mythical founder Tan’gun. This is not my story, it is Korea’s story. I just tried to make it rhyme.

Linked to dVerse Poets Pub — Poetics: Exploring the realm of Korean Literature (first stop, Seoul), where Sanaa is hosting and challenged us to

• Write a poem that’s loosely based on Korean folklore. You may opt to create a tale of your own in regard to a myth or legend you might have discovered, or
• Write a poem using the Poetic form “Kasa.” The choice of topic is entirely up to you.