Hyeokgeose
Hyeokgeose(Hangul:혁거세;Hanja:Hách cư thế) was the first king ofSilla(신라), a the kingdom of ancient south-westKorea,from B.C. 57 to B.C. 935.
Mythology
[change|change source]Birth of Hyeokgeose
[change|change source]In B.C. 69, six village chiefs gathered with their children and announced that “We have been living disorderly. It because we do not have aGreat Chiefon our villages. So, let’s set someone on the throne who is a virtuous person and found a nation.” At that time, they found the strange light looked like thunderbolt onYang-san(양산).
When they climbed the mountain to observe the light, The light went up to the sky atNajung(난정), the foot of Yang-san. And They found a white horse that was bowing. The horse flew up to the sky after it howled a long time. As soon as it left, they looked through the place and they found a big purple egg. The people broke the egg, and they reached out one boy who looked nice and beautiful. When people washed him atDongchun(동천), his body shines and birds and beasts came to dance and sing. Also the sky and the earth shook and the sun and the moon became clear. After then, people named himKingHyeokgeose, meaning brightruler.
Birth of Queen
[change|change source]When the son of the sky came down to the earth, he suggested that Hyeokgeose has to find good wife for him. At that time,Gyeryong(계룡), which is adragonlooked likerooster,came down from the sky toAlyeong-jung(알영정) inSarang-ri(사량리) and bore a beautiful girl who had chickenbeakunder the dragon’s leftrib.When people moved and washed her atBookchun(북천) inWalsung(월성), the beak chipped off. So the people called the placeBalchun(발천) and named herAlyeong.
Marriage
[change|change source]The people built up thepalaceat the foot of South mountain and brought up twobabies,who are Hyeokgeose and his wife to be aprinceandprincess.
Death
[change|change source]After 61 years from he start to rule the country, he flew up toheaven.After seven days, the ashes of his body fell to the earth and scattered, and thesoulof his queen ascended to join him in paradise. All the people cried the ashes of their great king and queen. So they tried to bury them in the same tomb, but a big snake showed up and protected the ashes. So the royal remains of each were divided into five parts and interred in pairs in the Northern Mausoleum, within the precincts of a temple called Tamom-sa (담엄사). The people called these the Five Mausoleums, or Sa-ning (Tomb of the Snake;사능). The Crown Prince succeeded to the throne and was given the title Namhae-wang.
Reign
[change|change source]The prince was crowned king with Princess Alyeong. The country at that time was called Sorabol (서라벌) in native language. The name Silla was not used until a later time. during the reign of Kaerim-guk (계림국). The Great Chief of the Park family founded the kingdom of Silla and ruled over it for sixty-two years
Origin of Family Name, Park
[change|change source]Since the prince had been born from an egg in the shape of the gourd called "park" in the native tongue, they gave him the family name Park (박). The princess was named Alyeong (알영) after the well where she was born.