Hong Gildong (character)

This is a Korean name; the family name is Hong.
Hong Gildong

Opening page of Tale of Hong Gil dong.
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised Romanization Hong Gil-dong
McCune–Reischauer Hong Kil-tong

Hong Gildong is a fictional character in an old Korean novel, Tale of Hong Gildong (Hangul: 홍길동전; hanja: 洪吉童傳; RR: Hong Gil-dong-jeon), written in the Joseon Dynasty. The story was authored by Heo Gyun and is believed to have been written in the late 16th or early 17th century. Hong Gildong robs the rich and corrupt aristocrats to provide for the poor, much like the English folk hero Robin Hood. Hong Gildong's historical inspiration was the early 16th century Korean bandit and folk hero Im Kkeokjeong.[1]

Hong Gil dong is also a common placeholder name, similar to John Doe in the United States.[2]

The Story of Hong Gildong

Due to the strict Korean Confucian laws of the Joseon Dynasty, Heo expressed his ideas in this novel, where Hong, born an illegitimate child, is not accepted by his father and family. His father, after hearing from a mudang (shaman) that his son is cursed, attempts to kill him but fails. Shocked and appalled at his father's actions, he goes out into the world, where he becomes a bandit leader. He becomes a bandit for the people, and steals from the rich only to give to the poor. His popularity within the peasant society soars, and many view him as a hero. Because of this, he is wanted by the government under Yeonsangun and is marked as a national traitor. With the order from the King, the government forces try to capture him many times, only to capture three hundred of his manifestations. Eventually, to control him, the government offers him the job of War Minister in which he accepts. For a while, he is satisfied with his occupation, but later, he realizes that the people still suffer. To find out the truth, he departs for Nanjing to seek truth there. On his way, by chance he discovers the nation of Yul-do, which was oppressed by demons. He defeats the demons, and is elected the king of Yul-do. However, he hears the news of his father’s death, and hurries back to Joseon to serve his father’s funeral for three years, according to tradition. After his service, he returns to Yul-do, where he lives happily as a king and hero.

Interestingly, Hong is shown as returning to serve his father's funeral for three years, whereas his father attempted to murder him years ago. This reveals Hong's heroic state of mind furnished by Heo Gyun.

Adaptations

Notes

  1. (Polish) Joanna Rurarz (2009). Historia Korei. Dialog. ISBN 978-83-89899-28-6. P.237
  2. DBDic.com (디비딕닷컴) (2001). Neo geugeo ani? 너 그거 아니? (Did you know that?). ISBN 89-7075-229-3. Retrieved September 22, 2006 from Naver Books.
  3. "A Brief History of Korean Animation: Part II". Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  4. http://www.kmdb.or.kr/movie/md_basic.asp?nation=K&p_dataid=05191&keyword=%C8%AB%B1%E6%B5%BF
  5. http://www.kmdb.or.kr/movie/md_basic.asp?nation=K&p_dataid=05359&keyword=%C8%AB%B1%E6%B5%BF
  6. "Hong Kil Dong". MIFF. Retrieved 2015-06-15.
  7. "Hardcore Gaming 101: A History of Korean Gaming". Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  8. "Hardcore Gaming 101: A History of Korean Gaming". Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  9. "Hardcore Gaming 101: A History of Korean Gaming". Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  10. http://www.kmdb.or.kr/movie/md_basic.asp?nation=K&p_dataid=04809&keyword=%C8%AB%B1%E6%B5%BF
  11. "Hardcore Gaming 101: A History of Korean Gaming". Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  12. "Hardcore Gaming 101: A History of Korean Gaming". Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  13. Park Jeong-woo (박정우). "Descendants of Hong Gil-dong (Korean Movie - 2009) - 홍길동의 후예 @ HanCinema :: The Korean Movie and Drama Database". HanCinema. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  14. "Hong Gil-dong to be revived in musical" Korea Herald. 29 March 2010. Retrieved 2012-03-29

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, January 26, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.