Habaek
Habaek (
Mythological overview
Habaek, the god of the Amnok River, had three daughters: Yuhwa (
Habaek transformed into a carp, a deer, and a quail, only to be caught by Hae Mo-su when he transformed into an otter, a wolf, and a hawk respectively. Defeated and recognizing Hae Mo-su's supremacy, Habaek consented to the marriage.
However, after the official marriage ceremony was held, Yuhwa escaped Hae Mo-su's chariot before they could ascend to heaven and she returned to her father. Because his daughter's actions brought disgrace to him, Habaek had his lips stretched out and he exiled her to a stream in
Inspiration
He is often compared to the Chinese god Hebo due to the same spelling in Chinese characters. However, the two gods are considered as separate deities, since Habaek is the god of Amnok (Yalu) River where Hebo is the god of Yellow River. The story of Habaek also lacks mentions of Hebo's accomplishments (and vice versa) which are integral to his identity such as the Heavenly Questions, only discussing individuals who are important to the history of Korea. Similar to Interpretatio graeca in the West, it is believed that Habaek borrowed the name from Hebo and was inspired by his concept of being a river god, but was seen as a separate and autonomous god of the Goguryeo people and their Amnok River (equivalent to Hebo and the Han Chinese to their Yellow River).
Etymology
Unlike China's Hebo, Habaek goes through several names including Habaek "河伯", Habak "河泊" and Haebalk "해밝", interchanging when necessary and depending on the source. In fact, the Chinese characters for Habaek, "河伯/河泊" is used as a general title that means "River God" in Asian mythology, not specifically alluding to the Chinese god, Hebo (see
This applies the same for Habaek's other name Haebalk "해밝", which literally means "bright sun" in native Korean, alluding to being a general term for a "Sun God". This aligns with Lady Yuhwa's pregnancy story where she bore Chumo after the sunlight touched her uterus being the daughter of a sun god.
Legacy
Chumo's descendants of Goguryeo worshiped Habaek due to his importance in Chumo's conception story and also for being a god. This was later carried over to the Baekje people as King Onjo (the second son of Chumo) was also originally from Goguryeo and was also related to Habaek.
Habaek being a god helped his long distant descendant, Emperor Kanmu find legitimacy as the Emperor of Japan. His mother, Takano no Niigasa was of Baekje descent, which in turn was related to Chumo and thus, Habaek. The emperor mentioned Habaek several times during his reign, stating that he was of "heavenly lineage" thanks to being a descendant of a god.
In popular culture
- Portrayed by tvN Monday-Tuesday drama The Bride of Habaek.[11]
See also
- Lady Yuhwa
- Hae Mo-su
- Chinese god of the Yellow Riverwhich Habaek took heavy inspirations from.
- Kawa-no-Kami - Also known as Kahaku. Japanese god of rivers which took heavy inspirations from Hebo.
References
- ^ "하백(河伯)". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean).
- ^ Kang, Kyeonggu (2010). 고구려 의 건국 과 시조 숭배 (in Korean). the University of California. p. 26.
- ^
"하백은 압록강의 신" (Habaek is the god of Amnok River)
- ISBN 9788942340484.
- ^
"해밝의 딸이 ' 유화 ' 다 . " (The daughter of Haebak was Lady Yuhwa)
- ^ "유화부인". 두산백과 (in Korean). Doosan Encyclopedia. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ "하백". 두산백과 (in Korean). Doosan Encyclopedia. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ "하백". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ 조현설. "유화부인". Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture. National Folk Museum of Korea. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ "압록강(鴨綠江)". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean).
- ^ "[단독] 공명 '하백의 신부' 합류…남주혁X신세경X크리스탈 만난다". TV Report (in Korean). February 20, 2017.
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