Creation myth of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

is the creation story of Baekje dynasty about

Onjo Onjo (?–28, r. 18 BC – AD 28) was the founding monarch of Baekje (백제, 百濟), one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. According to the ''Samguk Sagi'' (삼국사기, 三國史記), he founded the royal family of Baekje. Background There ...

, the first king of the Baejke Dynasty, and

Biryu Biryu (?-?) was the second son of Jumong and So Seo-no, and older brother of Onjo, the traditionally recognized founder of Baekje (18 BCE–660 CE), which was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. In an alternate legend, Biryu himsel ...

, his elder brother. They were the princes of the

Buyeo Buyeo or Puyŏ ( Korean: 부여; Korean pronunciation: u.jʌ or 扶餘 ''Fúyú''), also rendered as Fuyu, was an ancient kingdom that was centered in northern Manchuria in modern-day northeast China. It is sometimes considered a Korea ...

dynasty, but were not a crown pirnce. Thus they left Buyeo to establish their own country. Finally, Onjo founded

dynasty.

History

It is said that the Baekje dynasty was founded in the B.C. 18, the place of its founding varies from Daebanghyeon to Hanam Wiryeseong. The founder of Baekje is Onjo (온조, 溫祚) or Biryu (비류, 沸流). The first record of the founder of Baekje is

Samguk Sagi ''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Korea, ...

(History of the Three Kingdoms) by Gim Bu-sik. The 'Baekje Bongi' of the "Samguk Sagi", The " Samguk Yusa" (삼국유사, 三國遺事) and The "Haedong Goseungjeon" (해동고승전, 海東高僧傳) mention the founder of Baekje as Onjo or Biryu. The 'Jiriji' (Geography) of the "

", history books in China, or The Shoku Nihongi (續日本紀) mention Dongmyeong (동명, 東明), Wutae (우태, 優太), Gutae (구태, 仇太), and Domo (도모, 都慕). According to the inaugural year of King Onjo's accession in The 'Baekje Bongi' 1 of the "Samguk Sagi" Volume 23, Onjo's father was Chumo (추모, 鄒牟) or Jumong (주몽, 朱蒙), who came from

Bukbuyeo Buyeo or Puyŏ (Korean language, Korean: 부여; Korean pronunciation: Help:IPA/Korean, u.jʌ or 扶餘 ''Fúyú''), also rendered as Fuyu, was an ancient kingdom that was centered in northern Manchuria in modern-day northeast China. It ...

to Jolbonbuyeo and married the second daughter of King of Buyeo. After the death of the king of Buyeo, Jumong succeeded to the throne. At this time, he gave birth to two sons, the first being Biryu and the second Onjo. However, when the son Jumong gave birth to when he was in Bukbuyeo came and became the crown prince, Onjo and Biryu left south with ten servants including Ogan (오간, 烏干) and Maryeo (마려, 馬黎) to Hansan (한산, 漢山). They set up the capital at Hanam Wiyreseong (하남위례성, 河南慰禮城). and named the country Sipje (십제, 十濟). This was the third year of Hongjia (홍가, :zh:鸿嘉), Emperor of Cheng of the Former Han Dynasty, which is B.C. 18. Biryu did not follow the advice of the Ten Gods (십신) and went to live in Michuhol (미추홀, 彌鄒忽), but since the land in Michuhol was damp and the water was salty, he returned to Wiryeseong and died. After that, Onjo named the country Baekje because the people followed him happily every day. The lineage came from Buyeo like Goguryeo, so the surname was taken as Buyeo. According to the recorded Biryu story, King Biryu, the founder of Baekje, had his father Utaero Bukbuyeo, a child of a concubine of Haeburu (해부루, 解扶婁), and his mother

Soseono Soseono (66/7 – 6 BCE) or Yeon Soseono () was the second wife of King Dongmyeong and a key figure in the establishment of both Goguryeo and Baekje. She was the mother of Biryu and Onjo, whom they were her sons from her first marriage with Wut ...

(소서노, 召西奴), the daughter of Yeontabal (연타발, 延陁勃), a

Jolbon Holbon () was the first capital of Goguryeo, which arose in the north of the Korean Peninsula. Holbon is thought to have been in modern Wunü Mountain, Liaoning. In 37 BC, Jumong had fled from Dongbuyeo to avoid death at the hands of Dongbuyeo' ...

person. Soseono first married Wutae and gave birth to Biryu and Onjo. After Wutae's death, Soseono assisted Jumong from Bubuyeo in establishing Goguryeo in Jolbon. Accordingly, Jumong made Soseono his wife and treated him with special hospitality, and treated Biryu and Onjo as if they were her own sons. Upon the arrival of his son Yuryu (유류, 孺留), born in Buyeo, Jumong made him the crown prince to succeed to the throne. In response, Biryu, along with his younger brother Onjo, took his mother and crossed Paesu and Daesu to live in Michuhol. On the other hand, according to Buksa and Suseo,

Gongsun Du Gongsun Du () (150? – 2049th year of the ''Jian'an'' era, per vol. 08 of ''Sanguozhi''), courtesy name Shengji, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was not able ...

, the governor of

Liaodong The Liaodong Peninsula (also Liaotung Peninsula, ) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located between the mouths of the Daliao River (the ...

of the Han Dynasty, made Gutae, a descendant of Dongmyeong, who had a strong sense of dignity and trust, take his daughter as his wife. It is said that Biryu-guk became a powerful country in Dong-i.

Analysis

Baekje's founding myth is presumed to have changed whenever the capital was moved. Here, Onjo and Biryu are not the main characters of the founding myth, but only as the founders of the country. And in the Hanseong Baekje era, when the Onjo faction seized power, it borrowed 'The Myth of King Dongmyeong' of Buyeo, which is somewhat different from the myth of Jumong of Goguryeo. When the capital was moved to

Ungjin Ungjin, also known as Gomanaru (Hangul: 고마나루, literally "bear port") is a former city on the Korean Peninsula. It was located in modern-day Gongju, South Chungcheong province, South Korea. It was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538 ...

, it seems that the Biryu line took over the government and borrowed the descendant line's founding myths such as 'The Legend of Gomnaru' and the Biryu story in the

Gongju Gongju ([]; Gongju-si) is a city in South Chungcheong province, South Korea. History Gongju was formerly named Ungjin and was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538. In this period, Baekje was under threat from Goguryeo. Goguryeo had overrun ...

region. The meaning of the word 'Biryu' is unknown, but Goguryeo Songyangguk (松讓國) is also called Biryuguk, and the name of the river is also called Biryusu. Gakhun(覺訓)'s "Haedong Goseungjeon" describes Biryu as 'Piryu' (피류, 避流) and Onjo as 'Eunjo' (은조, 殷祚).

References

External links

백제의 건국 이야기 (Founding story of Baekje)
''(in Korean)''
백제 온조⋅비류 설화를 이해하는 몇 가지 논점들
''(in Korean)'' {{Korean mythology Korean mythology

History

Analysis

See also

References

External links