King Dongmyeong of Goguryeo
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King Dongmyeong of Goguryeo (58 - 19 BCE, r. 37 – 19 BCE),"Dongmyeongseongwang"(東明聖王) also known by his birth name Jumong, was the founding monarch of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. In the Gwanggaeto Stele, he is called Chumo-wang (King Chumo). In the Samguk Sagi and the Samguk Yusa, he is recorded as Jumong, with the surname Go. The Samguk Sagi states that he was also known as Chumo or Sanghae (상해, 象解). The name is also transcribed in other records as Chumong (추몽, 鄒蒙), Jungmo (중모, 中牟 or 仲牟), or Domo (도모, 都牟).[1]
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[edit] Birth
The founding myth of Goguryeo are related in ancient Korean texts, including the Gwanggaeto stele. The best known version is found, with slight variations, in the Samguk Sagi, Samguk Yusa, and the Dongmyeongwangpyeon of the Dongguk Isanggukjip.
There have been disputes over who the father of Jumong really was. In some Korean text, Jumong is described as the son of Hae Mosu (解慕漱：the son of heaven) and Yuhwa (柳花：daughter of the river god Habaek (河伯)). It is said that Hae Mosu met Yuhwa by a river where she was bathing, but the river god disapproved of Hae Mosu, who returned to heaven. The river god chased Yuhwa away to Ubalsu(優渤水), where she met and became the concubine of King Geumwa of Dongbuyeo. Yuwha was impregnated by sunlight and gave birth to an egg.[2] Geumwa tried to destroy the egg, and tried to feed it to animals, who instead protected the egg from harm. Geumwa returned it to Yuhwa. From the egg hatched a baby boy, who was named Jumong, meaning "skilled archer" in Korean.
In recent studies, however, Jumong is stated to be the son of Hae Mo-Su's grandson, Buliji. The studies also present that Hae Mosu and his descendants ruled over the most powerful of Gojoseon's successor-states, Buyeo, until the establishment of Goguryeo under Jumong.
[edit] Leaving Dongbuyeo
Jumong was known for his exceptional skill at archery. Eventually, Geumwa's sons became jealous of him, and Jumong was forced to leave Dongbuyeo. According to legend, as he fled on his horse, he approached a fast-running river. Turtles and creatures of the water rose up and formed a bridge.[3] When he entered the land south of the river, he was greeted by Go Museo Dangun, who was the ruler of Jolbon, which was Bukbuyeo under a changed state-name. Go Museo knew that Jumong was not an ordinary man and gave his daughter So Seo-No in marriage. After the death of his father-in-law in 37 BC, Jumong became the 7th Dangun of Bukbuyeo, and reunited all of the five tribes of Jolbon into one centralized kingdom.
[edit] The first King of Goguryeo
In 37 BC, Jumong established Goguryeo, and became its first Taewang ("Supreme King"). During that same year, King Songyang of Biryu surrendered to him after receiving assistance in defeating the Malgal tribe that had invaded. In 34 BC, Jolbon-Seong, Goguryeo's first capital city, was completed, along with the royal palace. Four years later, in 28 BC, Jumong sent General Bu Wiyeom to conquer the kingdom of Okjeo.[4] During that same year, Jumong's mother, Yuhwa, died in the palace of Dongbuyeo, and was given the burial ceremony of a Royal Queen even though she was a Royal Wife. Jumong sent a messenger and numerous gifts to King Geumwa in gratitude of his generous act. In 19 BC, Jumong's first wife Ye Soya fled Dongbuyeo with their son, Yuri, and entered Goguryeo.[5] Ye became the empress, causing tension as Jumong's second wife, Soseuno, feared for her sons' positions in the future of Goguryeo. Soseuno left Goguryeo with her two sons and some of the people and headed further south into the Korean peninsula, what is now South Korea. There she built BaekJe. Jumong named his first son Yuri as the crown prince and successor to the throne.
[edit] Death and Succession
Jumong died in 19 BC at the age of 40.[6] Crown Prince Yuri buried his father in a pyramid tomb, and gave him the posthumous name of Chumo-Seong wang
[edit] Legacy
Jumong's kingdom of Goguryeo eventually grew into a great regional power. Goguryeo stood for 705 years and was ruled by a total of 28 kings in the Go Royal Family until it was conquered by the Silla-Tang alliance. Balhae and Goryeo succeeded it, and the modern descendants of Jumong still bear his family name "Go."
In 2006-2007, the South Korean television network MBC aired a highly popular 81-episode drama, Jumong.
[edit] Family
- 1st Wife: Ye So-Ya
- Yuri (King Yuri),
- 2nd Wife: Queen Consort So Seo-no
- Biryu
- Onjo (Onjo of Baekje)
[edit] Reference
- ^ Digital Korean Studies http://www.koreandb.net/KPeople/KPShow.asp?ID=0003672&Type=L
- ^ Retrieved on March 6th of 2008. http://www.koreandb.net/KPeople/KPShow.asp?ID=0003672&Type=L
- ^ http://www.seelotus.com/gojeon/gojeon/seol-hwa/dong-myeong-wang.htm (Kor)
- ^ History of Korea(Korean) http://www.koreandb.net/KoreanKing/html/person/p121_03672.htm
- ^ 十九年 夏四月 王子類利自扶餘與其母逃歸 王喜之 立爲太子, 《Samguksagi》 concerning Goguryeo volume 13th
- ^ 秋九月 王升遐 時年四十歲 葬龍山 號東明聖王, 《Samguksagi》 Goguryeo, volume 13th
[edit] See also
| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Go Museo Dangun |
King of Bukbuyeo 58 BC – 37 BC |
Titles merged |
| King of Jolbon Buyeo 58 BC – 37 BC |
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| New title | Taewang of Goguryeo 37 BC – 19 BC |
Succeeded by King Yuri |
