Chumo, posthumously Chumo the Saint , was the founding monarch of the kingdom of Goguryeo, and was worshipped as a god-king by the people of Goguryeo and Goryeo. Chumo, originally Buyeo slang for an excellent archer, later became his name. He was commonly recorded as Jumong by various Chinese sources, including history books written by Northern Qi and Tang. This name became dominant in future writings including the Samguk sagi and the Samguk yusa. Chumo's title was changed to Dongmyeong the Saint, literally translating to the Brilliant Saintly King of the East, at some point in time prior to the compilation of the Samguk sagi (1145). His other names include Chumong, Jungmo , Nakamu, or Tomo. In the Samguk sagi, he was recorded as Jumong with the surname Go, and was also known as Junghae or Sanghae.

Life and myth

The records of Chumo are often regarded as semi-legendary, and the extent to which the records are historical or mythological is debated. They are also mixed with legends about Dongmyeong of Buyeo told among the people of Buyeo, Goguryeo, and Baekje — whose monarchs all claim the same ancestry. The founding myths of Goguryeo are told in ancient writings, including the Gwanggaeto Stele. The best-known versions of Chumo's life are found, with slight variations, in the Samguk sagi, Samguk yusa, and the "Dongmyeongwang" chapter of the Donggukisanggukjip.

Birth

Hae Buru, the king of Buyeo, performed religious ceremonies in hope of having a son, as he was getting old without an heir. When he arrived at Gonyeon (or Gon Pond; ), he noticed his horse was shedding tears in front of a large rock. The king issued an ordered to remove the rock, and there he found a young boy who looked like a golden frog. The king treated the boy as a gift from heaven and named him Geumwa. Hae Buru adopted Geumwa and made him the Crown Prince when he became older. Later, Aranbul, the minister of Buyeo, told Hae Buru that he received the messages from heaven. "Heaven will send its descendent and create a new kingdom above Buyeo, thus the king should resettle at Gaseopwon ," a fertile land next to the ocean. Hae Buru and his followers relocated the capital and created a new kingdom called Eastern Buyeo. Meanwhile, in Buyeo, a person named Hae Mosu, proclaiming himself as the Son of Heaven, established the new capital at Buyeo. After Hae Buru died, Geumwa became the next king of Eastern Buyeo. When he went to Wubalsu (or Wubal Pond; ), which is located at the south of the mountain Taebaeksan, he met a woman named Yuhwa who was a daughter of Habaek. She told Geumwa that she was exiled by her father because she slept with Hae Mosu, who claimed to be the son of heaven, prior to marriage. She explained that Hae Mosu lured her to a place near the Yalu River, next to Ungsimsan (or Ungsim Mountain; ). Geumwa thought her story was strange, so he locked her in a room. While Yuhwa was locked away, the sunlight followed her wherever she went, and she eventually became pregnant. After she gave a birth to a large egg, Geumwa gave the egg to dogs and pigs, but they refused to eat it. He then put the egg in the middle of the street, but cows and horses walked around it. The egg was also thrown on a field, but birds came to protect it. After multiple failed attempts to crack the egg, Geumwa returned the egg to Yuhwa. Later, a boy was born from the egg. The young boy learned how to craft a bow and arrows, and he became a master of archery by the age of 7, earning the nickname Chumo, a word used by the people of Buyeo to describe excellent archers.

Escaping Eastern Buyeo

Daeso, the eldest of the seven sons of Geumwa, was worried Chumo would rise as a threat to him, but Geumwa commanded Chumo to take care of the horses. While raising the horses, Chumo intentionally gave more food to slow horses and gave less food to fast and talented horses to make them look unappealing and thin. When Geumwa went on a hunting trip with Chumo and others, Chumo was given a thin horse and fewer arrows, yet he was able to hunt more than anyone else who participated, since his thin horse was faster. This hunting episode further fueled Daeso's desire to kill Chumo. Seeing the growing threat, Yuhwa asked Chumo to leave and use his abilities elsewhere. Chumo and his three friends — Oi, Mari , and Hyeopbo — escaped from Eastern Buyeo, followed by cavalry sent out by Daeso. Chumo and his companions arrived to Eomsasu (or Eomsa River; ), but failed to find a bridge to cross the river. As the cavalry were approaching, Chumo asked the river for help, declaring himself a son of the Heavenly God and maternal grandchild of Habaek. Answering Chumo's call, fish and softshell turtles floated up from the river and created a bridge for Chumo to cross, then disappeared by the time the pursuing troops arrived.

Founding of Goguryeo

After escaping death, Chumo met three people, each wearing different cloths at Modungok (or Modun Valley; ). Considering them as gifts from heaven, Chumo gave a surname to each person: Jaesa, wearing hemp cloth, was named Geuk Jaesa ; Mugol, wearing monk cloth, was named Jungsil Mugol ; Mukgeo, wearing waterweed cloth, was named Sosil Mukgeo. Chumo gave roles to everyone, and together they arrived at Holboncheon (or Holbon Stream; ). Chumo wanted to build a palace on the mountain, but he wasn't able to afford it. Thus, he built a thatched house near Biryusu (or Biryu River; ) and lived there. He named his newly founded nation Goguryeo, and he changed his surname to Go at the age of 21 (37 BC). Hearing the news that a new a nation was born, many people joined him.

Rule

In 37 BC, in the first year of his reign, Chumo launched a preemptive strike on the Mohe near the border, fearing raids from them. The Mohe surrendered after the fight. One day, Chumo saw vegetable leaves floating on the Biryu River. He went hunting farther upstream and arrived at Biryuguk (or the Kingdom of Biryu; ). Song Yang, the king of Biryu, saw Chumo and commanded him to submit to Song's authority, since the State of Biryu was stronger and older. The two kings had an argument, then had an archery competition in which Chumo was victorious. In June of 36 BC, Song Yang surrendered to Chumo. Chumo renamed the land Damuldo (or Damul City; ),, appointed Song Yang as the Marquis of Damul, and continued to rule the area. In July of 34 BC, the construction of walls and a palace was completed. In October of 32 BC, Chumo sent Oi and Bu to Bunno, and conquered Haenginguk (or State of Haengin; ), which is located southeast of Taebaek Mountain. In November of 18 BC, the king ordered Bu Wiyeom to attack the Northern Okjeo, and Bu Wiyeom successfully made the Northern Okjeo submit to Goguryeo. In August of 24 BC, Yuhwa died in Eastern Buyeo. A funeral was held, and a shrine was built to her as the dowager of Geumwa. In October, Chumo sent an envoy along with regional products to Buyeo as a token of gratitude for the virtue and generosity shown by Geumwa. In April of 19 BC,Yuryu and his mother fled from Buyeo, arriving at Goguryeo. Chumo appointed Yuryu as the crown prince of Goguryeo. In September, Chumo died at the age of 39. He was buried at Yongsan (or Yong Mountain; ), and was posthumously given the title Dongmyeong-Seongwang.

Comparison and controversies

By noting the similarities in these myths, we can presume the following:

Alternative story

There is an alternative story of Chumo, which was noted by the compilers of Samguk sagi. The name Soseono only appears here. The storyline can extend to the theory of a coup led by Onjo, killing both Biryu and Soseono in order to claim Baekje for himself. The following description is based on Samguk sagi. Both Biryu and Onjo were sons of Wu Tae, the illegitimate grandson of Hae Buru, and Soseono , the daughter of Holbon native Yeon Tabal. Unfortunately, Soseono became a widow after Wu Tae died. When Chumo arrived at Holbon, he established Goguryeo and married Soseono. Soseono supported Chumo in every way possible, paving the way for the future of the Kingdom of Goguryeo, while Chumo helped raise her sons as if they were his own children. However, everything eventually turned against Soseono after Yuryu, the only biological son of Chumo from Lady Ye, came to Goguryeo and was appointed as the crowned prince. Biryu was displeased by the decision since Yuryu had not contributed at all to the creation of the kingdom. Also, fearing a purge by Yuryu after Chumo's death, Biryu led his followers along with Onjo and Soseono, and left Goguryeo to create his own kingdom.

Records by people of Goguryeo

There are only a handful of records from Goguryeo still remaining today as many have been lost throughout the centuries. According to the records, Chumo was born in Northern Buyeo. He arrived to Holbon, and built the capital on the mountain located west of Holbon. After he became tired of the throne, he went to the hill east of Holbon and died there.

Other records

According to the Notes on History of the Three Kingdoms, in previous books written by Chinese dynasties, there are huge discrepancies in the history of Goguryeo, as they treated Old Goguryeo and the New Goguryeo as the same entity, while separating Sosu Maek and the events involving Eastern Okjeo. The Old Goguryeo was occupied by the Han Dynasty shortly after the fall of Gojoseon, and became one of the counties under the Xuantu Commandery in 107 BC. On the other hand, the New Goguryeo was founded by Chumo. In 82 BC, New Goguryeo launched an attack on the Commanderies of Han, and was responsible for driving out the Xuantu Commandery from its original location to an area northwest of Goguryeo. Based on this account, Chumo was old enough to command his military force by 82 BC, which directly challenges the records from Samguk sagi. However, there are indications that Goguryeo was actually older than 705 years based on other records. According to Gwanggaeto Stele, Gwanggaeto the Great was the 17th generation (世孫) after Chumo, while Samguk sagi recorded him as the 13th generation after Chumo. There are two analyses of this: These other sources suggests there may be significant gaps or issues in the timeline of Goguryeo found in the Samguk sagi.

Legacy

The Kingdom of Goguryeo eventually evolved into a great regional territory with considerable power and influence. Goguryeo existed for 705 years and was ruled by 28 consecutive monarchs of the Go Dynasty until the collapse of the central government by the Silla-Tang alliance in 668. Both Balhae and Goryeo succeeded Goguryeo, and the modern descendants of Chumo still bear his family name of "Go." In Goguryeo, Chumo was deified as an ancestral deity and he was worshipped throughout the centuries. Today, Korea's Heongseong Go clan (Hanja:橫城 高氏, ), China's Liaoyang Go clan (Hanzi:遼陽 高氏) and Japan's Koma clan (Kanji:高麗氏) consider him their founder.

In popular culture

From May 2006 to March 2007, MBC aired an 81-episode drama, Jumong, to mark the network's anniversary. The series took elements from historical records and mythology, and retold the story in a more down-to-earth manner than found in the myths, recounting how Jumong, the spoiled stepchild of the Buyeo royal family, embarks on a journey of self-discovery, becoming a leading figure of Buyeo, but retreats from Buyeo after his step-brothers' betrayal. Relaunching the armed and militarily capable guerrilla fighters' force his biological father Hae Mo-su once headed, Jumong goes on a life mission to rescue and band together the refugees of the ancient Joseon peoples, leading the fight against the oppression of Imperial China, finally establishing himself as the king of the new nation Goguryeo. From 2010 to 2011, KBS1 aired King Geunchogo, also known as The King of Legend. In this series, Jumong is portrayed as a tyrant who could not accept sharing the power over Goguryeo with Soseono and the Jolbon faction. After Yuri of Goguryeo's arrival, the declared crown prince and successor to Jumong's throne, Soseono and all her subordinates and servants decided to leave "their beloved Goguryeo" to establish a new kingdom "much more powerful than Goguryeo ever was." Since 2017, KCTV aired 고주몽, a historical animation directed by Kim Kyung-ho at the SEK Studio. The animation contains the contents of Jumong, when he brings small countries of the same family together and builds up Goguryeo into a powerful nation. It deals with the history from the time when the parents Hae Mo-su and Yuhwa established their family until the birth of Jumong. In the first ten parts, Jumong tells the story of Buyeo, where he was born, and escaped. The first episode was broadcast on January 1, 2017, and so far 24 episodes have been broadcast. South Korean netizens were surprised at the quality development of the North Korean animation.

Actors who have played Jumong

Sources