Korean Myths, Korean Fairy Tales (1)- the 1st Verse of Changsega

When I was young, one of the storybooks I loved the most was a collection of Andersen’s fairy tales that my mother read to me when I was going to sleep.

It was a somewhat thick book, containing many stories in small letters. My mother continuously read that book to the three of us siblings when we were young, until the book became worn out from use. I guess I was so young at that time that I could not read the letters by myself. The reason I think so is because I do not have any memory of reading that book on my own. The story I requested from my mother many times was “The Swineherd Prince.” The princess was greedy, wanting only strange and wonderful objects. She had no interest in a person’s heart, and it was the story of the swineherd prince teaching the princess a lesson.

After that, my mother sang Mozart’s and Schubert’s lullabies to me. I have a strangely poor memory for music lyrics, so I sadly cannot memorize any songs. However, the only song I was able to remember was Mozart’s lullaby, thanks to my mother. But I could not memorize the slightly difficult(?) Schubert lullaby, and because of that, I also could not sing it to my two daughters. The Mozart lullaby is simple, and the Schubert lullaby is more sweet and gentle (this is my personal feeling).

While raising my two children, I also sang Mozart’s lullaby to them. However, they asked me to sing the Schubert lullaby that their grandmother sang, and once again I struggled because I could not sing it. My first child fell asleep quickly not through stories, but when I scratched her back and touched her ears. My second child eventually developed the habit of falling asleep quickly not by the fairy tales I read, but by books read aloud by a YouTubers. Both my first and second children liked Andersen’s stories. Both my first and second children also liked Korean myths. However, my second child had no interest at all in Koran fairy tales, so it was difficult for me to read them to her. Also, in reality, I was not able to read many Korean myths to them either. In the USA, the sources are limited.

My first child reads Korean well, but my second child finds reading Korean difficult.

Besides that, since I consider these stories interesting myself, I thought, “Why not write them down here sometimes?” and I started this.

Changsega (창세가): Song of Creation

When one hears the word “Changsega (창세가)”, one would probably think of the Book of Genesis in the Bible.

Among Korean people, I do not know how many have read and remembered this Changsega as a traditional fairy tale or myth. However, because one of my favorite books is Professor Shin Dong-heun’s Living Korean Myths, I thought I would write this story by referring to that book and through internet research.

Changsega is said to be an epic shamanic song (seosa-muga, 서사무가) that was transmitted in the Hamgyeongnam-do region of Korea. More precisely, it was a shamanic song that was passed down orally from generation to generation among shamans (mudang, 무당).

In 1923, a female shaman named Geum Ssang-dol-i (금쌍돌이), who was 68 years old at that time, performed and recited this story. A person named Son Jin-tae (손진태) recorded it and included it in Joseon Singa-yu-pyeon (조선신가유편).

Today, I try to translate the first verse of the Changsega.

Before reading the original text…

Before reading Changsega, it is helpful to understand a little about the traditional Korean view of the universe.

In ancient Korean beliefs, stars were not seen only as distant lights in the sky. They were also believed to have a connection with human life, fate, birth, death, and fortune. Certain groups of stars were thought to influence the destiny of people.

The Bukdu Chilseong (北斗七星, the Big Dipper) was often believed to be connected with death and human lifespan. It was regarded as a group of stars that had power over the length of a person’s life.

The Namdu Chilseong (南斗七星, the Southern Dipper) was traditionally believed to govern birth, and blessings during life.
In folk beliefs, while the Big Dipper was associated with the end of life, the Southern Dipper was associated with the beginning and continuation of life.

The Jikseong star (直星) refers to a star believed to be connected with an individual’s destiny. According to traditional belief, each person was born under a certain Jikseong star, which influenced their lifespan, fortune, misfortune, and blessings. These beliefs show the traditional Korean understanding that the world of heaven and the world of humans were closely connected.

Lord Maitreya (Mireuk-nim, 彌勒): In Buddhist tradition, Maitreya refers to the future Buddha who is believed to appear in the future.
However, in Korean folk mythology, especially in Changsega, Mireuk-nim appears as a creator deity who forms heaven and earth and establishes the world of humans. The figure reflects a blending of Buddhist influence with older Korean mythological traditions.

Jangsam (장삼, 長衫): A traditional long robe worn in Korean Buddhist and ritual contexts. In Changsega, Lord Maitreya creates his own jangsam from kudzu fibers, reflecting his role as a creator figure.

Gokkal (고깔): A traditional Korean pointed ceremonial hat, often associated with Buddhist rituals, shamanic practices, and folk performances. In Changsega, it is part of Lord Maitreya’s sacred clothing.

A mal (말, 斗) was a traditional volume measure, roughly equivalent to about 18 liters in later Korean measurements, although the exact amount varied depending on the historical period and region.

A seom (섬, 石) was a much larger unit of grain measurement. Traditionally: 1 seom = 10 mal

Verse 1 — The Birth of Lord Maitreya and The Formation of Heaven and Earth

<The Beginning of Heaven and Earth>
When heaven and earth came into existence,
Lord Maitreya (Mireuk-nim) was born.
Heaven and earth were joined together,
and they did not separate from each other.
The sky rose upward like the top of a cover,
and copper pillars were erected
at the four corners of the earth.

<The Arrangement of the Sun, Moon, and Stars>
At that time, there were two suns and two moons.
Lord Maitreya took one moon and
arranged the stars of the Big Dipper and the Southern Dipper.
From one sun, he created the great stars.
The smaller stars became the Jikseong stars of ordinary people,
while the great stars became the stars of kings and ministers.

<The Making of Maitreya’s Robe>
Lord Maitreya had no clothes,
and there was no cloth from which to make them.
He dug out the kudzu vines
that stretched across mountains,
cut them down, prepared their fibers, and softened them.
He placed a loom beneath the sky,
and hung its thread-lifting device among the clouds.
Raising it with a pounding sound and lowering it with a pounding sound,
he wove and wove, until he made a jangsam (long robe) from kudzu fibers.

One full pil (匹, 필 — a traditional unit for measuring cloth) became the main body of the robe,
and half a pil became the sleeves.
Five ja (尺, 자 — a traditional unit of length, roughly about 30 centimeters) became the seop (the overlapping front part of the robe),
and three ja became the git (the collar).
When making the pointed head covering,
he adjusted the length by three ja and made it,
but it did not even reach below the eyes.
When he adjusted it to two ja and three chi (치, 寸)
and made the head covering,
it did not even reach the level of the ears.
When he adjusted it to three ja and three chi
and made the head covering,
it reached down to the level of the chin.

When making the gokkal (pointed ceremonial hat),
he adjusted the length by three ja and made it,
but it did not even reach below the eyes.
When he adjusted it to two ja and three chi
and made the gokkal,
it did not even reach the level of the ears.
When he adjusted it to three ja and three chi
and made the gokkal,
it reached down to the level of the chin.

<The Age of Lord Maitreya>
Lord Maitreya came into the world.
During the age of Lord Maitreya,
he ate saenghwasik (生火食),
taking in grains as they were, without the use of fire.
He consumed two seom at a time,
and two mal at a time.
Yet even this could not continue forever.

<Seeking the Origins of Fire and Water>
Now that I have come into this world,
the origin of water and the origin of fire
there is no one but me who must discover them.
He caught a grasshopper,
placed it upon a punishment frame,
and struck its legs three times.

“Tell me, grasshopper, do you know the origin of water and the origin of fire?”

The grasshopper answered,

“At night, I live by receiving dew, and during the day, I live by receiving sunlight. How could a creature like me know the origin of such things? Ask the green frog instead, for it has seen the world before I did.”

Maitreya caught the green frog, struck its legs three times, and asked:

“Do you know the origin of water and the origin of fire?”

The green frog answered,

“At night, I live by receiving dew, and during the day, I live by receiving sunlight. How could a creature like me know? Ask the mouse instead, for it has seen the world long before I did.”

<The Mouse Who Knows the Origin of Fire and Water>
Maitreya caught the mouse, struck its legs three times, and asked,

“Do you know the origin of water and the origin of fire?”

The mouse replied,

“What reward will I receive for this deed?”

Maitreya said,

“I will grant you possession of the world’s granary.”

Then the mouse said,

“Enter Geumdeongsan Mountain. On one side lies flint, and on the other lies steel. Strike them together, and fire will appear.”
“Enter Sohasan Mountain, and clear water will spring forth. That is the origin of water.”

Maitreya learned the origins of water and fire,
and then turned his thoughts toward the human world.