Pak Hyŏkkŏse
Pak Hyŏkkŏse is a legendary figure recognized as the founder of the kingdom of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of ancient Korea, around 57 BCE. According to local legend, he emerged from a miraculous red egg discovered at Mount Yang, which marked the beginning of his remarkable story. Upon his birth, significant natural phenomena occurred, symbolizing his extraordinary nature, and he was named Hyŏkkŏse, meaning "bright," with "Pak," meaning "gourd," serving as his surname due to the egg's shape. Alongside a partner born from a hen dragon, he ascended to the throne of Silla at a young age, reigning for sixty-one years before being said to have ascended to heaven. Following his death, a snake prevented his remains from being buried together, leading to their interment in the Five Tombs, also known as the Snake Tombs, which are located near the Tamom Monastery. The legacy of Pak Hyŏkkŏse is significant as Silla would later unify Korea by conquering its rival kingdoms, Paekche and Koguryo, in the 7th century. His story is a foundational myth within Korean culture, highlighting themes of leadership, divine birth, and national unity.
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Pak Hyŏkkŏse
Related civilization: Korea
Major role/position: King, founder of Silla
Life
Pak Hyŏkkŏse is a legendary figure who is believed to have founded the kingdom of Silla, one of Three Kingdoms at the beginning of Korean civilization in 57 b.c.e.
According to legend, there were six villages in the tribal state of Chinhan. One day, the villagers decided to find a common leader as each of these villages was led by a separate clan. They found a red egg at Mount Yang. When the egg was cracked, there was a beautiful infant boy. After the villagers bathed the boy in the East Spring, the boy started to emit light, heaven and earth shook, the Sun and the Moon brightened, and birds and beasts rejoiced. The villagers named the child Hyŏkkŏse, meaning bright. Because he was born from an egg in the shape of a gourd, they gave him as surname “Pak” (“gourd”). They also found him a wife, a girl born from a hen dragon.
When the boy and the girl reached the age of thirteen in 57 b.c.e., they became the king and queen of the kingdom of Silla. Pak Hyŏkkŏse reigned for sixty-one years and then ascended to heaven. Legend has it that, seven days later, his remains fell from heaven to earth. People wanted to bury his remains together, but they were stopped by a huge snake. Consequently, the remains were buried at Five Tombs, also called the Snake Tombs, which are located at the Tamom Monastery.
Silla later conquered the other two kingdoms in the Three Kingdoms, Paekche in 660 c.e. and Koguryo in 668, thus unifying Korea.
Bibliography
Banaschak, Peter. Worthy Ancestors and Succession to the Throne: On the Office Ranks of the King’s Ancestors in Early Silla Society. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction, 1997.
Lee, Peter H. From Early Times to the Sixteenth Century. Vol. 1 in Sourcebook of Korean Civilization. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993.