Hyeokgeose of Silla (69 BC – 4 AD, r. 57 BC–4 AD), also known by his personal full name as Bak (Park, Pak) Hyeokgeose (朴赫居世), was the founding monarch of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the

progenitor In genealogy, the progenitor (rarer: primogenitor; german: Stammvater or ''Ahnherr'') is the – sometimes legendary – founder of a family, line of descent, clan or tribe, noble house, or ethnic group.. Ebenda''Ahnherr:''"Stammvater eines G ...

of all Bak (

Park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

) clans in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republi ...

Name

His title ''Geoseogan'' (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The ...

: 거서간

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

: 居西干) or ''Geoseulhan'' (

: 거슬한

: 居瑟邯), means "king" in the language of the Jinhan confederacy, the group of chiefdoms in the southeast of the Korean Peninsula. "Hyeokgeose" was not a

personal name A personal name, or full name, in onomastic terminology also known as prosoponym (from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον / ''prósōpon'' - person, and ὄνομα / ''onoma'' - name), is the set of names by which an individual person is known ...

, but the ''

hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

'' for his honorific name, pronounced "Bulgeunae" (

: 불그내;

: 弗矩内) in archaic Korean, meaning "bright world." 赫 ''hyeok'', a Chinese character that means "bright, radiant, glowing" (from doubling the character for 赤 ''jeok'' "red"), is used to transcribe the Korean adjective stem 븕 ''bylg-'' > 붉 ''bulg-'' "red" (< ancient Korean word for "red; brightly colored; bright"). 居 ''geo'', a Chinese character that means "live, dwell, reside, sit," is used to transcribe the Korean prenominal adjective inflection ㄴ ''-n'' ~ 은 ''-eun'' "~ that is (bright/red), ~ which is (bright/red)." 世 ''se'', a Chinese character that means "generation; world; era," is used to transcribe an ancient word related to the obsolescent Korean word 뉘 ''nuy'' ~ 누리 ''nuri'' "world."

Founding legend

The ''

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, ...

'' and ''

Samguk Yusa ''Samguk yusa'' () or ''Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms'' is a collection of legends, folktales and historical accounts relating to the Three Kingdoms of Korea (Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla), as well as to other periods and states before, duri ...

'' describe the founding of Silla by Hyeokgeose. Refugees of Gojoseon lived in the valleys of present-day Gyeongsang-do, South Korea, in six villages called Yangsan (

:양산촌

:楊山村), Goheo (

:고허촌

:高墟村), Jinji (

: 진지촌

: 珍支村), Daesu (

: 대수촌

: 大樹村), Gari (

: 가리촌;

: 加利村), and Goya (

: 고야촌;

: 高耶村). In 69 BC, the heads of the six chiefdoms gathered to discuss forming a kingdom and selecting a king. In the forest, at a well called Najeong at Yangsan, a strange light shone from the sky (some accounts describe the simultaneous rising of the sun and moon, as well as a volcanic eruption), and a

white horse A white horse is born predominantly white and stays white throughout its life. A white horse has mostly pink skin under its hair coat, and may have brown, blue, or hazel eyes. "True white" horses, especially those that carry one of the dominant ...

descended. Chief Sobeolgong of Goheo discovered a large egg there. A boy came out of the egg, and when bathed, his body radiated light and birds and beasts danced. The egg was gourd-shaped, which has been posited as the origin of the Bak (Park, Pak) name, as it aligns with the Korean word for gourd (박, ''bak''). Sobeolgong raised him, and the six chieftains revered him. The chieftains made him king when he became 13 years old. The state was named Seorabeol. Upon becoming king, he married Lady Aryeong, who is said to have been born from the ribs of a

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted ...

. A different version of the legend claims Hyeokgeose was a son of Lady Saso who was from a Chinese royal family and moved to the Jinhan confederacy. ''

'' (Memorabilia of the three Kingdoms), volume 5, clause 7. Wang Yang(王襄), the retainer of the Song Dynasty, came to Goryeo as an envoy and offered a ancestral rites to Dongshinsungmo(東神聖母女)(Meaning: 東-Eastern 神-God 聖-Saint 母女Lady), and there was a phrase, "pregnant with Hyeonseong(賢聖, Meaning: wise saint) and established the country." However, Dongshinseongmo(東神聖母女) appears in book named ''Goryeo Dogyeong''(hangul:고려도경, hanja:高麗圖經). According to this book, It means Dongsinsa Temple who revere Lady Yuhwa as a god. There is a suspicion that Song historian who told Kim Bu-sik a story of Lady Saso could not distinguish Goguryeo from Silla. It is presumed an error by the Chinese historian who lacked an understanding of early Korean history and Korean Historian who has been in the cultural toadyism.

Historical context

This legend reflects developments in the city-state stage, the six chieftains representing a loose group of Gojoseon refugees. The story implies the ascendency of the Bak clan over the native peoples, and may indicate horse and sun worship. The founding date is widely questioned today, as the ''

'' was written from the viewpoint of Silla, claiming Silla's superiority and antiquity over

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...

and Baekje. Silla in this traditional thinking is thought to have been founded first, followed by Goguryeo, and then Baekje. Archaeological evidence, however, paints a different picture, and it is suspected that Goguryeo is the oldest of the three kingdoms, with Silla developing either concurrently with Baekje or after it.

Reign

According to the ''

'', Hyeokgeose and his queen traveled the realm in 41 BC, helping the people improve their harvests. The people praised them as the Two Saints or Two Holy Ones (

: 이성;

: 二聖). In 37 BC Hyeokgeose built Geumseong (

: 금성;

: 金城) in the capital city (present-day

Gyeongju Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, ...

), and in 32 BC he built a royal

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

inside. The Chinese Lelang commandery invaded in 28 BC but seeing that the people enjoyed piles of grain and did not lock their doors at night, called Silla a moral nation and retreated. In 20 BC, the king of the Mahan confederacy demanded a tribute. Silla sent Hogong, who was a minister of Silla. The king was angry that Silla sent Hogong and not a tribute. Hogong criticized the king's impoliteness with fortitude. The king was angry at him and tried to kill him, but nearby subordinates stopped the king, and he was permitted to return to Silla. In 19 BC, Hyeokgeose also sent an emissary upon the death of the Mahan king. In 5 BC, East Okjeo (a small state to the north, later conquered by

) sent an emissary, and Hyeokgeose presented him with 20 horses. According to Samguk Yusa, in the 61st year(4 CE), one day he went up to the sky, and eight days later, his body was scattered on the ground. And the queen also follows the king and dies. The people of the country tried to bury them, but a large snake appeared and disturbed them. Accordingly, the head and limbs were buried separately to create ''five tombs'' (五陵), and the name of the tomb was called Sareung. It is called ''Sareung'' (蛇陵) because snake (蛇) protect the tomb.

Death and succession

Hyeokgeose ruled for around 60 years, and set the foundation for a kingdom that would unify much of the Korean Peninsula in 668.The Academy of Korean studies
/ref> Hyeokgeose maintained control over his kingdom and was one of the few Park rulers to hold complete power over Silla. He died at age 73, and was buried in Sareung, north of Dameomsa (south of Namcheon). Hyeokgeose was succeeded by his eldest son Namhae.

Legacy

Though not much is known about Hyeokgeose, his many legacies and reminders survive to this day. One of them being his numerous descendants, the

clans of

, who are numbered as the third largest group of people with a common last name. All the Park clans in Korea trace their ancestry back to the first king of Silla, Bak Hyeokgeose. Another legacy was the kingdom that he established. The fact that he founded the Silla kingdom remained under high respects and great consideration by Gyeongju Gim (Kim) (김, 金) clan and Wolseong Seok (석, 昔) clan throughout Silla's history.

Family

References

Notes

{{s-end 69 BC births AD 4 deaths Silla rulers 1st-century BC rulers in Asia 1st-century monarchs in Asia Founding monarchs 1st-century Korean people 1st-century BC Korean people