Samsin halmeoni ( Korean: 三神 할머니), the ''Grandmother Samsin'', is the

triple goddess A triple deity is a deity with three apparent forms that function as a singular whole. Such deities may sometimes be referred to as threefold, tripled, triplicate, tripartite, triune, triadic, or as a trinity. The number three has a long histor ...

of childbirth and fate in Korean mythology.

Name

''Samsin'' or ''Samshin'' means "Three Goddesses" in Korean, (literally, three spirits) and they appear collectively as three grandmothers. ''halmeoni'' means grandmother, a title for a venerated ancestor goddess, embodied as a wise crone goddess. When addressed with the honorary title Samsin halmeoni or just Samsin, the three goddessess are also thought of as one Samsin, the single goddess of childbirth in

Korean shamanism Korean shamanism or Mu-ism is a religion from Korea. In the Korean language, alternative terms for the tradition are ''musok'' () and ''mugyo'' (무교, 巫敎). Scholars of religion have classified it as a folk religion. There is no central aut ...

. A mountain in South Korea is named after Samsin halmeoni, the

Samsinbong Samsinbong or Samshin-bong is a mountain of Gyeongsangnam-do, southeastern South Korea. It has an elevation of 1,284 metres. See also *List of mountains of Korea The following is a list of mountains in Korea: List of mountains in North ...

, known as the Three Spirit Peak.

Worship and beliefs

Samsin halmeoni would protect every child from birth until the seventh year of age, where the child would then be protected by the deity of Seven Stars, the

Ursa Major Ursa Major (; also known as the Great Bear) is a constellation in the northern sky, whose associated mythology likely dates back into prehistory. Its Latin name means "greater (or larger) bear," referring to and contrasting it with nearby Ursa ...

bear. Every village and every house would have its own Samsin of childbirth. Even today, the Korean people believe that the warmest part of the '' anbang'' (main living room), belongs to Samsin halmeoni and rituals and prayers to Samsin are still performed there. Samsin halmeoni was honoured at childbirth and at birthday parties with offerings of

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

, soy sauce and wine, laid out in the form of a dinner. At the third and seventh day after the childbirth, the underwear of the mother would be folded and placed in the ''anbang'' Samsin area and a little altar would be set upon them, where prayers for a long and healthy life of the child would be performed. Samsin halmeoni or Samsin was also said to visit the ''Samsin Danji'' ( Korean: 삼신 단지) dedicated to her, an earthenware pot kept in the inner wing of the house or in the warm part of the ''anbang''. The pot was filled with rice, then covered in paper and sealed with a knot tied counterclockwise. However, some households would perform ''Geongung Samsin'', the act of honoring Samsin, only in the mind. Samshin halmeoni was honored with

Jesa Jesa (, ) is a ceremony commonly practiced in the East Asian cultural sphere. Jesa functions as a memorial to the ancestors of the participants. Jesa are usually held on the anniversary of the ancestor's death. The majority of Catholics, Buddh ...

s at every festival or birthday celebration in the household, and also at the third, seventh and thirty-seventh day after delivery. When a woman in the household was pregnant or has given delivery, the room where the ''Samsin Danji'' was kept, would be sealed with ropes to symbolize and contain the strong power of Samshin halmeoni. After the delivery, a rope would be also hung on the outside of the house to mark the lucky event of "opening what has been tied", symbolizing the act of birth, and to ward off evil spirits that could threaten the mother and the new baby. The belief in Samsin halmeoni is strongest in Jeju Island. To conceive, a childless woman would share her Samsin rice meal with a mother who recently delivered, pray to Samsin in the anbang area or wear a cloth that has touched a coffin.

Myth

In oral tradition, Samsin halmeoni would be the 3 daughters of the virgin sky goddess who became the first '' mudang'' shamaness, who was named ''T'ang Kum Agassi'', or ''Tanggum Aeggi''. She descended from heaven to Earth and gave birth to the Samsin in a cave, which is a reference to

bear worship Bear worship (also known as the bear cult or arctolatry) is the religious practice of the worshipping of bears found in many North Eurasian ethnic religions such as among the Sami, Nivkh, Ainu, Basques, Germanic peoples, Slavs and Finns. Ther ...

and Korean shamanism. Later, after male-oriented Buddhism has entered Korea, the myth was amended with Tanggum Aeggi also giving birth to 3 sons, who became Buddhistic heaven gods. The Samsin halmeoni then created and gave birth to the first humans on Earth, becoming the mother goddesses and ancestors of all humans. In a Samsin myth, both of the main characters - the malevolent Princess of the Dragon Palace of the East Sea and the kind Princess of the Kingdom of Myeongjin - are female, underlining how the ancient myth is related to female-oriented Korean shamanism.

In popular culture

* Portrayed in a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

by Kim Ji-young (actress, born 1938) in the 2010 SBS TV series ''

My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho ''My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho'' (; also known as ''My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox'') is a 2010 South Korean romantic comedy television series starring Lee Seung-gi and Shin Min-a. It aired on SBS from August 11 to September 30, 2010 on Wednesda ...

'' * Portrayed in a

Kim Soo-Mi Kim Soo-mi (born Kim Young-ok on September 3, 1949) is a South Korean actress. She has had a prolific career in film and television. Kim debuted in a talent contest in 1970, then shot to fame in ''Country Diaries''. The landmark TV series aired f ...

in the 2012

KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, ...

Monday-Tuesday TV series ''

Ohlala Couple ''Ohlala Couple'' () is a 2012 South Korean romantic comedy gender bender television series starring Kim Jung-eun, Shin Hyun-joon, Han Jae-suk and Han Chae-ah. It aired on KBS2 from October 1 to November 27, 2012 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21: ...

''. * Portrayed by

Lee El Lee El (born Kim Ji-hyun on June 26, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her supporting roles in the film ''Inside Men'' (2015), the television series ''It's Okay, That's Love'', '' Guardian: The Lonely and Great God'' (2016� ...

in the 2016-2017 tvN Friday-Saturday TV series '' Goblin''. * Portrayed by Oh Young-sil in the 2020

JTBC JTBC (shortened from ''Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company'' (; stylized as jtbc) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on 1 December 2011. JTBC ...

Wednesday-Thursday TV series '' Mystic Pop-up Bar''. * Portrayed by Moon Sook in the 2021 SBS Monday-Tuesday TV series '' Lovers of the Red Sky''. * Portrayed by

Song Ok-sook Song Ok-sook (born August 14, 1960) is a South Korean actress. She has appeared in supporting roles in numerous television dramas, including '' Winter Sonata'', '' Beethoven Virus'', ''More Charming by the Day'', and '' Missing You''. Song is ...

in the 2022 MBC TV series '' The Golden Spoon''.

References

{{Korean mythology Korean goddesses Korean mythology Mother goddesses Korean folk religion Triple goddesses Childhood goddesses