Princess Bari - Bari Gongju - 바리 공주
Long ago a king and queen lived and were told not to cosummate their marriage too soon or they'd give birth to seven daughters. They rushed, and the six were born, and upon the seventh the king or queen had a dream they'd give birth to a son, however upon seeing his seventh daughter the king threw her away, naming her Bari, the thrown away one. She is adopted by an old couple in some versions. Later in life her parents are ill and can only be saved by water from the underworld, which their other daughters refuse to fetch, but Bari does not. The details change but she usually runs into a guardian of the underworld whom she weds and has seven children by (who sometimes become the stars of the Big Dipper). She eventually returns, finds her parents already dead, and resurrects them with the help of the water and flowers of resurrection. As a result and depending on the version she attains divinity, becomes the protector of dead souls, and the patron of Korean shamanism.
Pantheon: Korean
Domain or Function: Protector and psychopomp of the dead.
Alternate Names: Bari, Baridegi (바리데기)
Character Traits: She is noted for her perseverance and her willingness to do a task not often suitable for women. As a result she is a powerful symbol of womanhood and power.
Visual Traits: In artwork she is often depicted with the flowers of resurrection as a maiden, or sometimes depicted as a shaman herself.
Symbolism: Flowers of resurrection, clothing of mudang shamans.
Sources: 1 2 3
