This blog post examines the natural worldview in Korean creation myths and explores how it aligns with the theory of evolution established in the West. It looks at how the worldview in early myths presupposed gradual change and harmony.
The theory of evolution, developed by Charles Robert Darwin and numerous scientists, explains the diversity and complexity of existing life forms. Its core principle is that living organisms constantly undergo variation; among these, any variation capable of being inherited by the next generation, no matter how minor, accumulates over generations. Given sufficient time, this accumulation produces visible changes. The most crucial driving force behind evolution is natural selection, a concept first identified by Darwin and forming the core of Darwinian evolution. Organisms face competition for survival within their given environment. Individuals unable to reproduce are naturally eliminated, while those possessing traits advantageous for survival and reproduction spread their traits to subsequent generations and throughout the ecosystem, as if selected by nature. Natural selection is not a hypothesis or conjecture but an undeniable fact. It can be easily demonstrated quantitatively through mathematical models, and numerous cases observed in modern evolutionary biology prove this. Thus, the theory of evolution, which presented a new paradigm unimaginable to previous scholars, had a profound social impact across various fields. Evolutionary theory profoundly influenced not only adjacent disciplines like systematics, evolutionary biology, and genetics, but also fostered new philosophical thought and social science ideas. It also clashed with existing value systems, historically generating significant conflict particularly with Christian creationism. Thus, evolutionary thinking, which fundamentally transformed existing concepts, exerted a profound influence not only on Western science but across society and culture as a whole.
So, was this evolutionary thinking entirely new to Easterners, especially Koreans? To examine this, we will first explore the definition and significance of myth, then examine the view of nature presented in the Korean creation myth and the evolutionary thinking embedded within it.
Mythology is the narrative of a primordial worldview transmitted at the ethnic level. This primordial worldview carries two meanings. One is that the world depicted in the myth concerns the initial state of time, while the other is that the consciousness of the people narrating that world is itself primordial. The object of cognition is the primordial world, and the perspective of the cognizing subject is also grounded in the recognition of the primordial world. Therefore, the primordial world as an objective entity and the primordial worldview as the subject’s cognitive system are closely intertwined. Consequently, myths are not stories that reinterpret the primordial world from our present perspective, but rather narratives described according to the cognitive system and worldview held by the people who lived in that primordial world.
Myths do not depict current reality, nor do they speak with our present voice. They faithfully transmit the voices of ancestors who existed long ago; neither the eyes that view the world nor the mouths that speak of it belong to us. Thus, even though they tell of a world beyond our temporal and spatial reach, the fact that they have been transmitted through emotional resonance naturally renders myths mysterious and strange, leading those who pass them on to regard them as sacred. Consequently, myths leave little room for active intervention by the storyteller or the audience’s consciousness, and no disputes arise during their transmission. This is because the world myths depict is unverifiable and possesses an indisputable sacredness. Based on this essential nature, we accept the facts narrated in myths as the ‘transcendent reality of the primordial beginning’ spatially and as the ‘history of the sacred origin’ temporally.
As the history of the sacred beginning, myths often occupy the foremost position in historical narratives. Due to the perception that transcendent reality constitutes sacred fact, myths frequently form the foundation of religious scriptures. A prime example is Genesis 1 in the Old Testament, which opens the Bible and is composed of the creation myth. By describing the process of God creating heaven and earth at the book’s outset, the Bible defines the origin and essence of nature as a divine act of creation. Since heaven and earth constitute nature’s foundation and essence, how a myth explains their origin reveals a people’s view of nature and their understanding of the cosmos.
However, the world depicted by myth is a transcendent reality beyond visual confirmation, dealing with primordial facts long vanished. Yet, the reason we can still empathize with and transmit myths today is that they succeed in creating a literarily compelling depiction. While dealing with an unverifiable world, myths are systematically structured within a consistent logical framework and expressed with palpable clarity. This allows them to function as narratives containing a coherent ideological system. Consequently, myths are simultaneously literary representations and historical statements, religious scriptures and philosophical systems. It is this multi-layered nature that has established myths as subjects of study across various academic disciplines.
This blog post does not focus on mythical works as literary forms or mythical sources as historical facts. Nor does it address mythical scriptures codifying the doctrines of specific religions. Here, we examine the universe and world contained within myths—that is, our people’s worldview regarding nature. Myths containing primordial tales inevitably speak of the creation of the universe and its underlying principles. Without addressing this, a myth cannot fulfill its function, nor can the history of the world itself advance a single step. Yet, this does not mean myths describe the universe and the world haphazardly. Myths are constructed based on a certain worldview that the ethnic community empathizes with and agrees upon. Without this, primordial tales could not have been transmitted to the present day. The worldview discussed here focuses less on cosmic structure or spatial perception and more on how nature is perceived as an entity—that is, the Korean people’s view of nature.
Shamanic songs performed during rituals include both the creation myth known as ‘Cheonjiwangbonpuri’ (The Creation of Heaven and Earth) and the creation myth called ‘Changse-ga’ (The Song of Creation). While both myths share the commonality of narrating how the primordial world was created, they exhibit several significant differences. The creation myth of the opening of heaven and earth tells the story of heaven and earth opening spontaneously according to their own power and principles. In contrast, the creation myth of the world’s formation features a divine being who appears, separates heaven and earth with transcendent power, and establishes order to harmoniously govern celestial bodies like the sun, moon, and stars.
Therefore, creation myths constitute a distinct category from creation myths and can be viewed in a similar vein to the Christian creation myth. This is because they introduce a divine agent who creates the world, whose intent shapes all things into their present form and ensures the natural movement of the sun, moon, and stars. In this respect, the claim that Korea lacks a creation myth is unfounded. Rather, we possess a rich mythological heritage encompassing both the Gaebyeok myth and the creation myth.
The Genesis myth is divided into two parts: the first part describes the birth of Maitreya during the opening of heaven and earth, who separated heaven and earth, regulated the sun, moon, and stars, and sought the origins of water and fire; the second part tells how, after Maitreya created humans, Shakyamuni appeared and deceitfully seized control of the human world, leading to the proliferation of sin and evil. Here, we focus on the first part as the core of the creation myth. The opening of the Genesis Myth is as follows:
“When heaven and earth came into being,
Maitreya was born.
Heaven and earth clung together,
unable to separate.
Heaven bulged like a pot lid,
while earth stood on four copper pillars.
At that time, there were two suns and two moons.
One moon was separated to form the Big Dipper and the Southern Dipper,
and one sun was separated to form the Great Star.”
The basis for classifying the Genesis Song as a ‘creation myth’ rather than a ‘creation story’ is evident in several differences. In the Christian creation myth, God is the agent of creation, bringing forth the heavens, the earth, and all things in the universe from nothingness into being. However, in the Genesis myth, Maitreya performs the role of separating the already existing heavens and earth and establishing the order of the world. It maintains the logic of the Gaebyeok myth in that heaven and earth had already opened spontaneously, and Mireuk-nim is closer to harmoniously organizing that opened heaven and earth.
Furthermore, luminous entities like the sun and moon are only arranged to find their proper places and operate harmoniously after heaven and earth have first been separated. What matters is not the sequence of world-building but the difference in the method employed. This difference in method is why one becomes a creation myth, while the other cannot be viewed as such. This is because Maitreya merely adjusted the pre-existing heavens, earth, and celestial bodies to suit the human world’s needs; he did not create them. For this reason, the creation myth should be called a ‘creation myth’ rather than a ‘creation myth’.
World-building myths share commonality with creation myths in that a deity appears and shapes the world. Nevertheless, the difference between the two is clearly evident in three aspects. First, the agent shaping the world is different. If the agent in creation myths is God, the agent in world-building myths is Maitreya. While God is the Creator who fashioned heaven and earth, Maitreya is the Founder and Harmonizer who harmoniously organized the world and established its order. Second, the method of world-building differs. In creation myths, God’s word is the act of creation itself, whereas in genesis myths, Maitreya’s hands become the means to adjust and organize the world. Third, the nature of creation differs. In the creation myth of heaven and earth, God performs absolute creation, bringing something into being from nothing. In contrast, Maitreya in the creation myth shapes the world by discovering what already exists and appropriately reconstructing and transforming it. Adjusting and changing what already exists cannot be called creation; if anything, it is closer to re-creation or adjustment.
If creation myths bring forth something from nothing, world-building myths bring forth something from something. While both explain world creation, in creation myths even heaven and earth are born from the beginning by God’s word. In world-building myths, Maitreya supports the already existing heaven and earth with pillars to prevent them from falling, and similarly, the sun and moon are merely existing entities reconfigured as needed. If the former creation is absolute creation, shaping something from nothing, the latter creation corresponds to the remodeling work of harmoniously structuring an unfinished world.
Unlike the opening line of the creation myth, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” the creation myth states, “When heaven and earth came into being, Maitreya was born.” That is, heaven and earth existed before Maitreya. Maitreya’s birth did not cause heaven and earth to come into being, nor did Maitreya create heaven and earth. For this reason, the Genesis myth cannot be called a creation myth. Maitreya merely organized the chaotic state of heaven and earth into an orderly world. Therefore, his role is not creation but Genesis—that is, the role of a Genesis-maker who harmoniously adjusts the world.
The difference between a Creator and a World-Orderer lies in their roles, despite both being transcendent deities. The Creator is an absolute deity who creates a perfect universe from nothing, while the World-Orderer is closer to a harmonizer who transforms a discordant universe into a harmonious natural state. The reason for establishing the world-ordering deity lies in differing views of nature. It stemmed from the recognition that nature was not given in a perfect form from the beginning, but rather existed as it does now through gradual change from an imperfect state. This recognition implies the expectation that the current world is also imperfect and that a more desirable and complete world will come in the future. This view of nature actually shares a similar structure to an evolutionary worldview.
Mythology is not merely an ancient tale. It embodies the worldview, natural philosophy, and cosmology of ancient peoples. Through mythology, we can discern the universal and primordial consciousness of humanity that has persisted to the present day. The Christian creation myth states that everything came into being from nothing through God’s word. It is, in essence, an absolute creation narrative. However, in Korea’s creation myth, Mireuk-nim merely restructured what already existed. This represents a creation or adjustment activity that guides an already existing, imperfect world toward a better state. The Christian creation myth views nature as perfect from the beginning, with present-day nature identical to past nature. That is, it holds the perspective that nature is essentially unchanging after creation. This viewpoint does not incorporate evolutionary thinking. In contrast, the Korean creation myth perceives nature as having gradually changed from an imperfect state to become what it is today. This is the recognition that nature transforms over time. It is a way of thinking premised on gradual evolution, fundamentally aligned with the core elements of the evolutionary perspective.
The evolutionary mindset that emerged in the 19th century and profoundly impacted Western thought and science as a whole was, in fact, already reflected long ago within Korea’s creation myths. Long before the West, Korean mythology perceived nature not as ‘perfectly created from the beginning,’ but as ‘progressively changing from an imperfect state to achieve harmony.’ This view of nature connects directly to evolutionary thought, demonstrating that a worldview premised on change and harmony was already deeply embedded within Korean mythology.
