Lady Aryeong (, a.k.a. Al-yeong, Al-yong) was married to Hyeokgeose of Silla who was the founder of Silla. According to ''

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 ...

'' (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms), Aryeong was born from the left side of the dragon which appeared near the well. However, 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, ...

'' (History of the Three Kingdoms), says it was the ''right'' side.

History

According to 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, ...

, In the spring of the 5th year (B.C. 53) a dragon appeared in the Alyeongjeong(閼英井). A girl was born on the right side. Old age woman(老嫗) found it bizarre and raised it. As she grew up, her virtue and appearance were outstanding, and King greeted her when he heard the news and made a queen. At this time, people called them two saints.

Historical context

According to the

, A ship carrying Talhae reached Azin Port(阿珍浦口). That was 39th year (B.C.19). At that time, an old mother(老母) on the beach collected and raised him. The old mother's name is Ahjinuisun(阿珍義先). The Hyukgeose's fishing grandmother(海尺之母) is Ahjinuisun(阿珍義先) too. In record "she didn't know if it was good or bad, so she went to the sky". Based on this record, Old mother(老母) is

Jinhan Jinhan () was a loose confederacy of chiefdoms that existed from around the 1st century BC to the 4th century AD in the southern Korean Peninsula, to the east of the Nakdong River valley, Gyeongsang Province. Jinhan was one of the Samhan (or "T ...

shaman Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...

and ArYeong's old age woman(老嫗) may also symbolize the same shaman group. addition, it can be inferred that Aryeong is highly related to shaman based on the record of Namhae Chachaung(南解次次雄) who is Aryeong's son, a Silla dialect, "Chachaung"(次次雄) calling a shaman. It can also be interpreted that Alyeong has the character of representing the natives in the early days of the foundation of Saro, from being described as another saint(聖人).

Outline

Lady Aryeong was a daughter of

Lady Saso Lady Saso () is said to be the mother of Hyeokgeose of Silla. Also known as the ''Sacred Mother of Mt. Seondo'' (Hangul:선도산), legends say she was a princess from the Chinese royal family. Having coming from China and settling upon the Jin ...

who was said to come from the

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

royal family and moved to the

Jinhan confederacy Jinhan () was a loose confederacy of chiefdoms that existed from around the 1st century BC to the 4th century AD in the southern Korean Peninsula, to the east of the Nakdong River valley, Gyeongsang Province. Jinhan was one of the Samhan (or ...

according to legends. However, whether Lady Saso was of Chinese origin is attested and is highly unlikely, considering the fact that deitifications were common back in the days when the ' Middle Kingdoms (中原)' was considered the center of civilization. The sources of these claims also comes from China during the Song Dynasty, roughly a thousand years later; something highly respected scholars and bureaucrats such as Kim Bu-sik (who is of royal Silla descent) has never heard of. She was married to Hyeokgeose of Silla who was the founder of Silla and he was also a son of Lady Saso. According to ''

'' (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms), Aryeong was born from the left side of the dragon which appeared near the well. However, the ''

'' (History of the Three Kingdoms), says it was the ''right'' side. According to the Buddhist monk

Il-yeon Il-yeon (or Iryeon; 1206–1289) was a Buddhist monk and All-Enlightened National Preceptor () during the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea. His birth name was either Kim Gyeong-myeong () or Jeon Gyeon-myeong (), and his courtesy name was Hoe-yeon (). He ...

, the “dragon” in these histories refers to Lady Saso. The following description is from the ''

'' (Memorabilia of the three Kingdoms), volume 5, clause 7. However, the first mention of "Gye-Rim (

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 let ...

:계림), Gye (

:계)" is mentioned for the first time in the

Kim Al-ji Gim Alji(Kim Alti) (, 金閼智; 65–?) was a historical figure in Korean history. His descendants formed the Gyeongju Gim, Gim royal clan of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. His legendary birth is said to have occurred during the reign ...

legend.

Family

Worship

She was worshipped as a goddess after death. She was worshipped during droughts, as it was believed she could pour water to stimulate rain. Her holy well was a place of pilgrimage for women who wished to become pregnant.Judika Illes: Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses, 2009

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aryeong, Lady Silla people Royal consorts of Silla