Talhae of Silla (5 BC –80 AD, r. 57–80) was the fourth king of

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...

, one of the

Three Kingdoms of Korea Samhan or the Three Kingdoms of Korea () refers to the three kingdoms of Goguryeo (고구려, 高句麗), Baekje (백제, 百濟), and Silla (신라, 新羅). Goguryeo was later known as Goryeo (고려, 高麗), from which the modern name ''Kor ...

. He is commonly called Talhae Isageum, ''isageum'' being the royal title in early Silla. Also known by his personal name as Seok Tal-hae (昔脫解).

Family

Parents *Father: King Hamdalpa (함달파왕) *Mother: Princess Jignyeongug (직녀국 공주) Consorts and their respective issue: *Queen Ahyo, of the Park clan (아효부인 박씨), daughter of

Namhae of Silla Namhae of Silla (?–24, r. 4–24 CE) was the second King of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He is commonly called Namhae Chachaung, ''chachaung'' being an early Silla title. Namhae is the only king who is called Chachaung. Accordi ...

and Lady Unje, sister of Yuri Isageum **Son: Crown Prince Seok Gu-chu (태자 석구추) ***Daughter-in-law: Queen Jijinaelye of the Kim clan (지진내례부인 김씨) ****Son:

Beolhyu of Silla Beolhyu of Silla (died 196, r. 184–196) was the ninth king of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He is also known as ''Balhui Isageum'', ''Isageum'' being the royal title in early Silla. As a descendant of Silla's 4th king Talhae, hi ...

(died 196, r. 184–196)–was the 9th king of

, one **Adopted Son or Great-grandfather:

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

Background

He was a member of the Gyeongju Seok clan, one of the noble clans that shared the Silla throne during the early

Common Era Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the or ...

. He was born in a small kingdom 1000 '' li'' northeast of

Wa (Japan) is the oldest attested name of Japan in foreign sources (names such as Fusang or Penglai are mythological or legendary, thus are not considered). The Chinese and Korean scribes regularly wrote it in reference to the inhabitants of the Wa K ...

. (The name of the kingdom is ''Dapana-guk'' 다파나국 多婆那國 "Dapana Country" according to ''

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, ...

'', or ''Ryongseong-guk'' 룡성국 龍城國 "Dragon Castle/City Country," ''Jeongmyeong-guk'' 正明國 "Proper and Enlightened Country," ''Wanha-guk'' 琓夏國 "(A Kind of) Jade Summer Country," or ''Hwaha-guk'' 花厦國 "Flower Mansion Country" 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 ...

''.) His father, King Hamdalpa, was a king of this kingdom; his mother was a queen or princess of another kingdom, called ''Nyeo-guk'' 女国 "Woman Country." According to the ''

'', when he was born as an egg, his father considered it an ill omen and had it boxed and floated at sea. The egg landed east of

Gyerim The Gyerim is a small woodland in Gyeongju National Park, Gyeongju, South Korea. The name literally means "rooster forest." The grove lies near the old site of the Silla kingdom palace in central Gyeongju. Nearby landmarks include the Banwolseong ...

(near today's

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, ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

), where he was raised by an old woman as a fisherman. His family is said to have taken over a high official's house by claiming to be metalsmiths. His birth year is unknown, but he was probably an old man when he assumed the throne, having married the daughter (or younger sister) of King Namhae of Silla in the year 8 AD. He was offered the throne as successor to the second king Namhae, but the older

Yuri Yuri may refer to: People and fictional characters Given name *Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. *Yuri (Japanese name), also Yūri, feminine Jap ...

served as king first. Yuri in turn designated Tal-hae his successor.

Hogong Hogong was a minister of Silla in the age of nation-building. It is recorded that he was originally from the Wa people of Japan, though his family name or clan name was unknown to the compiler of the Historical Records of the Three Kingdoms. 三� ...

is chief retainer who served for establishment of Silla. He also discovered

who is the founder of Kim clan in Korea. He got involved to three royals who are founder of Silla. He has Japanese origin. Tal-hae also came over by ship. The location of his birth place Dapana Country is estimated as somewhere in the Japanese archipelago. It is precisely estimated some part in Sea of Japan side or

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

. According to Kenichi Kamigaito, as it is a myth, other lines would be mixed, but Tal-hae of Silla was a King of Tanba province and he made jade there. He reached Silla by following a trade route. Even though excluding details of myth, it can be assumed that clan Seok had trade with Japan. On the other hand, there is a view that ''Ryongseong-guk'' () listed in ''

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 ...

'' has been regarded as a nation of Ainu, and Tal-hae has been regarded as a citizen of Ainu.

Legend

Reign

In 64, the rival Korean kingdom

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 ...

attacked several times. Silla battled the

Gaya confederacy Gaya (, ) was a Korean confederacy of territorial polities in the Nakdong River basin of southern Korea, growing out of the Byeonhan confederacy of the Samhan period. The traditional period used by historians for Gaya chronology is AD 42–53 ...

in 77. According to legend, in 65 the infant

, ancestor of the Gyeongju

Kim Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese f ...

family, was found by

in a golden box in the royal

forest. Tal-hae named his kingdom Gyerim at this time (the name Silla was officially adopted much later). A tomb believed to be Tal-hae's is located in northern

City. The

Gyeongju National Museum The Gyeongju National Museum is a museum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Its holdings are largely devoted to relics of the Silla kingdom, of which Gyeongju was the capital. The museum is located immediately adjacent to the ...

is constructed on the site where Tal-hae had a palace built.

In popular culture

*Portrayed by

Lee Pil-mo Lee Pil-mo (born June 26, 1976) is a South Korean actor. Personal life In December 2018 K-star Entertainment announced that Lee, who was in an onscreen relationship with the interior designer Seo Soo-yeon on Chosun Broadcasting Company, TV Chosu ...

in the 2010 MBC TV series ''

Kim Su-ro, The Iron King ''Kim Su-ro, The Iron King'' () is a 2010 South Korean television series on the life of Suro of Geumgwan Gaya, starring Ji Sung, Bae Jong-ok, Yu Oh-seong, Seo Ji-hye, Go Joo-won, Kang Byul and Lee Pil-mo. It aired on MBC from May 29 to September ...

''.

Notes

: A '' li'' is roughly equivalent to 400–500 meters. : Tanba no kuni was located 460 km northeast of ''

Wakoku Wakoku is the name used by early imperial China and its neighbouring states to refer to the nation usually identified as Japan. There are various theories regarding the extent of power of the early kings of Japan. According to the Book of Sui and ...

'' (: :zh:倭国, :ja:倭国).

References

External links

The Academy of Korean Studies

Korea Britannica
{{s-end Silla rulers Silla 80 deaths 1st-century monarchs in Asia Year of birth unknown 1st-century Korean people