FALL 2007
The Female Principle in the Magoist Cosmogony
Helen Hye-Sook Hwang
The Beginning of Mago Samsin (Triune Deity)
The Budoji’s creation account culminates in the emergence of Mago, the anthropomorphic progenitrix, and the self-birthing (parthenogenesis) by Mago of her two daughters. Particularly, the birth of Mago by PalYoe illumines not only the emergence of PalYoe by the movement/vibration of primordial stars but also the self-birthing of progeny by Mago and by her two daughters. The primordial trinity of Mago and her two daughters is a fulcrum to the great beginning of the cosmos as well as of humanity.
According to the epic, Mago is brought forth into existence by PalYoe, the female music of the universe. Then, the Way/Life of Mago opens a new epoch called JimSe. Now let us put the above two citations together and see the full account of the Budoji's second chapter:
In the epoch of the Former Heaven, the Great Citadel of Mago was located above the Citadel of SilDal (Real Land) and next to the Citadel of HeoDal (Ideal Land). In the beginning, there was nothing that could be seen but warm sunshine. Only was there to be heard the Music of PalYoe (Eight Female Musical Pitches) from heaven. The Cities of SilDal and HeohDal came from this music, so did the Great Citadel of Mago and Mago. This is called JimSe (One's World).
Prior to JimSe, when YulYoe [PalYoe] arose repeatedly, stars emerged. When JimSe completed its cycles for a long time, Mago bore two daughters, GungHee (Vault Woman) and SoHee (Nest Woman), and had them take care of OemChilJo (Five Pitches and Seven Tunes).
The Citadel sprang forth milk [from the ground] for the first time. GungHee and SoHee bore four women and four men and raised them with earth-milk. They assigned the former to manage Yoe and the latter Yul. (30)
Since I have already explained the incipient creation process that took place during the Former Heaven, I focus here on the successive creation during the intermediary epoch of JimSe marked by the great beginning of Mago. The above account reveals an original story of Mago’s and her two daughters’ procreation. Mago, the Primal Woman, gave birth to two daughters by parthenogenesis. Like Mago, her two daughters bore their progeny by parthenogenesis. Since milk sprang from a well in the Citadel of Mago, GungHee and SoHee raised their children with earth-milk. Thus, the Triune Divinity of Mago and her two daughters, GungHee and SoHee, was established.
The Budoji's Magoist triune mythology offers a lens to examine ancient Korean thought and religiosity, especially as recounted in the Handan Gogi (Archaic Chronicles of Han and Dan), the second major text in my reconstruction of Magoism. In the Handan Gogi, not only Mago is addressed as Samsin (Triad Deity) along with other names such as Cheonsin (Heavenly Deity) and Daejosin (Great Ancestor Deity), but also triune theology is discussed with great emphasis and at greater length. (31) Also the Magoist triune mythology is reflected in traditional folk piety toward Samsin Halmeony (Triad Grandmother/Goddess). In faith-practices enacted for her by the populace, which were popular among Koreans up until the 1970s, Samsin Halmeony was venerated for her power to decide the life and death of children, including impregnation and child-birth. (32) I refer to the three, Mago and her two daughters, as Mago Samsin (Triune Deity) hereafter.
Although the above account does not articulate Mago Samsin's parthenogenesis, more commonly referred to as "virgin-birth," it is contextually assumed as such. The Three Women are self-evidently the primeval anthropomorphic beings on earth. Male sex/gender appears in the third generation of Mago’s lineage. In other words, Mago Samsin's parthenogenesis is clearly assumed in the above account. In contrast to this, the previous chapter of the Budoji had already made parthenogenesis explicit. It is illuminating to juxtapose Chapter 1 now with the above cited:
The Citadel of Mago was located on the highest place on earth. Honoring the Heavenly Emblem, it succeeded the Former Heaven. There were four heavenly men at the four corners of the Citadel who stored tubes [flutes] and composed music. The first was named HwangGung (Yellow Vault), the second CheongGung (Blue Vault), the third BaekSo (White Nest), and the last HeukSo (Black Nest). Mother of two Gungs was Sovereign GungHee and Mother of two Sos was Sovereign SoHee. GungHee and SoHee were daughters of Mago.
Mago was born in JimSe. Mago had no emotion of pleasure and pain. She, rendering the Former Heaven male and the Latter Heaven female, bore GungHee (Vault Woman) and SoHee (Nest Woman) without spouse. Also GungHee and SoHee, without spouse but united by the Former Heaven and the Latter Heaven, each bore two heavenly men and two heavenly women, which added up to all four heavenly men and four heavenly women. (33)
In this first chapter, Mago Samsin's parthenogenesis is aided by the union between the Former Heaven and the Latter Heaven. This metaphoric apparatus appears to ease the difficulty on the part of readers in understanding the self-birthing of Mago Samsin. Such a metaphoric narrative may have functioned as an expedient means on the part of the narrator/scribe. (34) Also what can be inferred is that the author or scribe is conscious of the readers who might have deemed a sexual union between the two genders as a corollary method of reproduction.
Unlike Chapter 2, the first chapter begins the creation story out of chronological sequence. Instead of beginning by narrating the birth of stars during the Former Heaven, it begins with the four heavenly men/women [read tribes] who live in the Citadel of Mago. Then, it traces the lineage of these four tribes back to Mago Samsin. As a result, the first chapter firmly establishes the genealogical descent from Mago to the two daughters GungHee and SoHee, to the eight grandchildren of the four tribes. The four tribes represent the four primal racial groups, the yellow, the blue, the white, and the black. This genealogical etiology of Mago serves an important role in the history of Magoism. According to the Budoji's subsequent epic of Magoism, it functions as "the family tree" by which all peoples of the world find Mago as the one progenitor. In other words, ancient Magoists testify to the common origin of all peoples.
In the creation story of Mago, one might have noticed the lack of emphasis on fertility and motherhood. This is also true of the mythic tales of Mago from Korea. Only a small number of about 300 mythic folktales about Mago address such themes as fertility, motherhood, and/or female sexuality. Some readers may have noticed that the image of "the feminine sex" and her "voluptuous body" is strangely absent. While portraying Mago as progenitor, the word Mother for Mago is intriguingly absent. (35) Interestingly, in folklore Mago is more preferably called Mago Halmi (Grandmother/Goddess). The term "Halmi" in Korean is not exactly equated with Mother but Grandmother, a generic term that implies the Great Goddess in origin. The lack of the patriarchal fixation on "the feminine" in the Magoist cosmogony offers a clue that its narrative may reflect an archaic gynocentric consciousness. This inference is not farfetched when we note that the Budoji is alleged to have been written in the early 5th century CE; therefore, the lack of so-called feminine sexual characteristics may suggest that the Budoji's perspective predates patriarchal perspectives; or it may intend to undermine them. In this case, it appears that the female is not defined by men but by women themselves. The Budoji's creation narrative of Magoism suggests women's ownership of the power of naming in the past in East Asia.
The Budoji’s second chapter constitutes a curiously refreshing story. Imagine that stars were born as the music of the universe, so beautiful and powerful, playing crescendos and decrescendos. Then, when the universe reached an optimal self-equilibrium, Mago was born and began her life. Mago represents the Female that is defined by the gynocentric perspective. She is the unimaginably strong, wise, and spiritual Woman. She knows the profound urgency of her task to nurture and maintain earthly beings/things in harmony with cosmic music, in order for the whole to survive and thrive. As the cosmic choreographer, Mago designs the cosmic dance for the coming forth of humanity. As the primordial sovereign, she is the administrator of the world. Mago is the Origin from whom we come. In her, humanity finds home. Mago witnessed the sea-change of cosmic epochs. She succeeded in self-procreation and bore two daughters, GungHee (Vault Woman) and SoHee (Nest Woman). Thereupon, the primordial Triune Divinity was formed. The Three-in-Unity co-practiced the Art of Living. Thereupon, the earth brought forth a spring of milk. GungHee and SoHee bore daughters and sons and raised them with earth-milk. The two daughters were identical to Mago with one exception. Their progeny included men as well as women; they brought into existence the first beings of the male sex/gender. Mago Samsin, the Female Trinity, taught their progeny the Art of Living. Daughters and sons, the heavenly women and heavenly men, to be referred to as the primal immortals by East Asians, lived in the four corners/gates of Paradise. They all co-practiced the Way of Living.