When the ancestors of the Korean people migrated southward from what is now Siberia thousands and thousands of years ago, they arrived in a beautiful peninsula covered in mountains. Since then and throughout our history, the Korean people have had a spiritual connection to and an unrelenting love for the land we call home. This relationship with nature is the basis of Korean Shamanism, our original culture. Shamanism didn't come to Korea the way Confucianism, Buddhism, or other ideologies were imported. Shamanism arrived with the first Koreans. Because 70-80% of Korea is mountainous, Sanshin or mountain spirits became a primary deity and continues to be actively worshiped today. The Legend of Dangun is a Shamanic creation and sovereignty myth that tells the story of the king who establishes Korea's first kingdom and goes on to become the most famous Sanshin of them all.

Join us as we dive into Korean Shamanism, mountains and their spirits, the Legend of Dangun, the origins of Korean culture and society, and how it's progressed and been preserved to today.

Special Guest: Professor David A. Mason
Professor of Cultural Tourism at Sejong University
http://san-shin.org

Show Notes: http://fluentkorean.com/the-origins-of-korea
Instagram: @fluentkorean @fluentfools

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