Suro of Geumgwan Gaya :Suro, or Sureung (수릉, 首陵), (r. 42 - 199) was the legendary founder and king of the state of
Geumgwan Gaya in southeastern
Korea.
BackgroundAccording to the founding legend of Geumgwan Gaya, King Suro was one of six princes born from eggs that descended from the sky in a golden box. Suro was the leader among the princes, who went off to found the other states of Gaya, asserting the leadership of the
Gaya confederacy.
Meeting of his queenAlso according to legend, King Suro's queen
Heo Hwang-ok was a princess from the Indian country of Ayuta (아유타, 阿踰陀). She is said to have arrived in Gaya by boat in the year 48. They had ten sons in all, two of whom took the mother's family name. Ayuta is today often identified with
Ayodhya in
India, and the tale has gained modern significance in the light of the modern-day relations between Korea and India
[1]. This legend was recorded in the chronicle
Garakguk-gi (가락국기, 駕洛國記), and reproduced in the 13th century chronicle
Samguk Yusa.
In the northern Indian city of Ayodhya, a recently visiting Korean delegation has inaugurated a memorial to their royal ancestor, Queen Heo Hwang-ok. More than a hundred historians and government representatives, including the North Korean ambassador to India, unveiled the memorial on the west bank of the River Saryu. Today, the historians say, Queen Heo Hwang-ok's descendants number more than six-million, including the former president of the Republic of Korea,
Kim Dae Jung.
Tomb of King Suro in Gimhae
Translating the legendThe legend as a whole is seen as indicative of the early view of kings as descended from heaven. Notably, a number of Korean kingdoms besides the six Gaya made foundation legends with ties to chickens and eggs.
Jumong, the founding king of
Goguryeo, is said to have been born from an egg laid by
Lady Yuhwa of
Buyeo;
Bak Hyeokgeose, the first king of Saro-guk, or
Shilla, is said to have hatched from an egg discovered in a well; and
Kim Alji, the progenitor of the
Kim dynasty of Shilla, is said to have been discovered in
Gyerim Forest by
Hogong in a golden box, where a rooster was crowing. Aspects of the legend have been mined for information about the customs of Gaya, of which little is known. For example, Lee (1984, p. 7) cites the legend of his being raised to the kingship as one among various "embellished accounts of ... selecting a tribal leader." Kwon (2003) analyzes the tale of Queen Heo to gain information about the types of clothing worn at the time.
A tomb attributed to King Suro is still maintained in modern-day
Gimhae. Members of the Gimhae
Kim clan, who continue to play important roles in Korean life today, trace their ancestry to King Suro, as do members of the Gimhae
Heo clan; they did not inter-marry until the beginning of the 20th century.
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