Haetae

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A picture of a haetae taken at a temple

In Korean Mythology, the haetae (also haitai) is a legendary creature who resembles a lion. It is believed as a guardian against disaster. Furthermore, they are said to guard against all forms of disruptive or violent change. It has the body of a lion, and occasionally is depicted with a unicorn-like horn.^{[citation needed]}

According to Stephen Roney, in an article for the Korea Herald,^{[citation needed]} “All follows from the haetae's vocation to root out violent change. The large nose sniffs for hidden iniquity or distant smoke. The big, luminous eyes stare alert into the middle distance, concerned not with what is but with what will be. The cavernous mouth with overshot lower jaw fastens like a bulldog on the past, not letting it go. The well-bred haetae is a thoughtful, even intuitive creature. Enemy of change, it is no fan of newborn things; it will eat a child who gets too close. It can challenge time itself, bite the sun or moon, and create an eclipse.” The haetae is also to be a symbol of water, due to their fire-eating qualities, and a symbol of justice.

The use of haetae in architecture was promoted during the Joseon Dynasty to protect the capital Hanyang (modern day Seoul) from the fiery forces of Mount Kwanaksan.^{[citation needed]}

Haetae were placed outside the Kyongbok palace, geomancers noticed that the Kwanak Mountain was too large, throwing off the balance of eum and yang of the city, dynasty and nation, and thus heralding disaster. Kwanghwamun (Kyongbok) collapsed during construction. To prevent this, or worse, from happening again, two haetae were installed at the gate to ward off the forces of the mountain, and thus not just protecting the palace, but the royal line and the nation.^{[citation needed]}

Haetae seem to be a uniquely Korean concept, uninfluenced by Chinese, Japanese or Buddhist culture, unlike much in Korean mythology.^{[citation needed]}