Sansin is the god who governs the mountains, commonly depicted as a white-haired elder accompanied by a tiger. Enshrined in temple mountain-god halls and village shrines, the deity was believed to rule the safety and fate of those who entered the mountains.
More deity than monster, Sansin is an object of awe and fear. By making the whole domain of the mountain feel possessed of a single will, the figure stands at the heart of Korean mountain belief, where place itself approaches as a sacred and dangerous power.