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

Silla Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...

, one of the

Three Kingdoms of Korea The Three Kingdoms of Korea or Samhan (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) competed for hegemony over the Korea, Korean Peninsula during the ancient period of History of Korea, Korean history. During the Three Kingdoms period (), many states and statele ...

. 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 () *Mother: Princess of Jeoknyeo-guk () Consorts and their respective issue: *Queen Ahyo, of the Park clan (), daughter of Namhae of Silla, sister of Yuri Isageum **Seok Gu-wang (석구광), 1st son **Seok Gu-chu, Crown Prince (), 2nd son ***Daughter-in-law: Queen Jijinaelye of the Kim clan () ****Son:

Beolhyu of Silla Beolhyu (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, his surna ...

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

, one **Seok Gu‐no (석구노), 3rd son **Adopted Son or Great-grandson: Kim Alji

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 ...

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

Wa (Japan) Wa is the oldest attested name of Japan and ethnonym of the Japanese people. From Chinese and Korean scribes used the Chinese character to refer to the various inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago, although it might have been just used t ...

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

Samguk sagi ''Samguk sagi'' () is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. Completed in 1145, it is well-known in Korea as the oldest surviving chronicle of Korean history. The ''Samguk sagi'' is written in Classical ...

'', 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 the ''

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, d ...

''.) 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 (near today's

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

, South Korea), 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 served as king first. Yuri in turn designated Tal-hae his successor. Hogong is chief retainer who served for establishment of Silla. He also discovered Kim Alji 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 Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

. 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 the ''

'' 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 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

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– ...

in 77. According to legend, in 65 the infant Kim Alji, ancestor of the Gyeongju Kim family, was found by Hogong in a golden box in the royal Gyerim forest. Tal-hae named his kingdom Gyerim at this time (the name Silla was officially adopted much later). There was also a legendary account of Talhae battling King Suro of Gaya, with both utilizing magic by transforming into birds to fight each other. A tomb believed to be Tal-hae's is located in northern

. The Gyeongju National Museum is constructed on the site where Tal-hae had a palace built.

In popular culture

*Portrayed by Lee Pil-mo in the 2010 MBC TV series '' Kim Su-ro, The Iron King''.

Notes

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

References

External links

The Academy of Korean Studies

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