King Dongmyeong of Goguryeo - Birth

Birth

The founding myths of Ko-Kuryeo are related in ancient Korean texts, including the Gwanggaeto stele. The best known version is found, with slight variations, in the "Samguksagi", "Samguk Yusa", and the "Tong Myeong Wang-Pyeon" (동명왕편, 東明王篇, Volume of King Dongmyeong) of the "Donggukyisanggukjip" (동국이상국집, 東國李相國集, Collected Works of Minister Yi of Korea) by Yi Kyu-Po.

There have been disputes over who the father of Ju-Mong really was. In one legend Ju-Mong is son of Hae Mosu (해모수, 解慕漱) and Yuhwa (유화, 柳花), daughter of the river god named Habaek (하백, 河伯). Hae Mosu met Yuhwa by a river where she was bathing, but the river god disapproved of Hae Mo-su, who returned to heaven. The river god chased Yuhwa away to Ubal river (우발수, 優渤水), where she met and became the concubine of King Geumwa of Tong Pu-Yeo. Yuwha was impregnated by sunlight and gave birth to an egg. Geumwa tried to destroy the egg, and tried to feed it to animals, who instead protected the egg from harm. Geumwa returned it to Yuhwa. From the egg hatched a baby boy, who was named Jumong, meaning "skilled archer" in the ancient Buyeo language.

Leaving Dongbuyeo, Jumong was known for his exceptional skill at archery . Eventually, Geumwa's sons Daeso and Yongpo became jealous of him, and Jumong left Buyeo to follow Haemosu's dream to unify Gojoseon territories which had been broken up as a result of the Han Dynasty's corrupt government and rescue Gojoseon's population that had been left in Dongbuyeo. According to legend, as he fled on his horse, he approached a fast-running river. Turtles and creatures of the water rose up and formed a bridge. He entered the land south of the river. In 37 BC, Jumong became the first king of Goguryeo, and reunited all of the five tribes of Jolbon into one kingdom. So Seono, who was a Jolbon chief's daughter, became his second wife. So Seono was previously married to Wutae and gave birth to his son Onjo (who eventually established the kingdom of Baekje).