No. 006
Three-legged crow
三足烏삼족오 (samjogo)
Divine beast
Draft, not yet reviewed
An imaginary three-legged bird said to live in, or stand for, the sun. It is widely found in Goguryeo tomb murals, painted inside the sun's disk.
Names
- Korean
- 삼족오
- Hanja
- 三足烏
- Revised Romanization
- samjogo
- English
- Three-legged crow
Appearance
Usually a crow drawn inside the sun's disk, often with a peacock-like crest; some examples look more like a dove or a goose.
Habitat
Inside the sun.
Attestations
-
Encyclopedia of Korean Folklore and Traditional Culture Encyclopedia
What it says: The three-legged crow article: examples in Goguryeo murals (Jinpa-ri Tomb 1, Deokhwa-ri Tomb 1), the motif on Goryeo and Joseon objects, and related tales.
Interpretation and notes
Chinese records derive the name from sunspots that looked like a crow. The three legs are explained either as the number of yang or as another name for the sun.