Korean foundation-myth figure; originally a bear, transformed into a woman through 100-day cave-endurance on mugwort and garlic per Hwanung's instruction. The tiger that attempted the same vigil failed and gave up. Named Ungnyeo ("Bear-Woman") upon transformation. Prayed under the sacred Sindansu (sandalwood tree) for a child; Hwanung took human form to marry her; bore Tangun, founder of Gojoseon. Scholarly interpretation (per Pai, Constructing "Korean" Origins, 2000): the bear-tiger pairing represents two ancient clan-totems competing for the heavenly prince's favor, with the bear-clan emerging as the maternal lineage of the Korean people. Ungnyeo is bear-transformed-into-fully-human; at the time of Tangun's conception she is human, and so Tangun's demigod classification follows the standard rule (divine pantheon-parent + mortal partner). The bear is interpreted in Korean traditional cosmology as god-of-the-land and womb-of-products-of-farming-culture, complementing the sky-god paternal lineage in the Korean sacral-kingship hieros gamos pattern.