Hanja 好童王子 樂浪公主 | ||
Hangul 호동왕자와 낙랑공주 (S)
호동왕자와 락랑공주 (N) Revised Romanization Hodong wangja wa Nangnang gongju McCune–Reischauer Hodong wangja wa Rangnang gongju | ||
The Korean legend of Prince Hodong and the Princess of Nakrang is the story of a Princess who betrays her own country for the love of a Prince of the foe country. While this story is set during the reign of King Muhyul of Goguryeo (AD 18-44), the first extant account is the Samguk Sagi (삼국사기), published 11 centuries later. It records that Nakrang had a drum that sounded by itself in case of foreign invasion. In order to invade Nakrang, King Muhyul ordered his son, Prince Hodong, to use the Princess of Nakrang in order to tear apart the mystical drum, resulting in the fall of Nakrang. Nevertheless, Hodong wasn't made Crown Prince of Goguryeo and the throne passed to a brother of Muhyul (and then to another son).
Contents
This tale about nations, war, love, betrayal, and death has been the topic of many dramatizations and philosophical comments.
The Samguk Sagi
The Samguk Sagi, Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) were published in 1145. The purpose of the author Kim Busik was to face a situation where
Of today’s scholars and high-ranking officials, there are those who are well-versed and can discuss in detail the Five Classics 五經 and the other philosophical treatises...as well as the histories of Qin and Han, but as to the events of our country, they are utterly ignorant from beginning to end. This is truly lamentable.Around 600 AD, each of the Three Kingdoms had produced their own records: Sogi (Records, circa 370, Baekje), Kuksa (National History, 545, Silla) and Sinjip (600, Goguryeo). But these records were lost during the continual wars between the Kingdoms, and also the many invasions that occurred along the centuries. It is not clear how much of these records were actually at the disposal of Kim Busik when he wrote his Chronicles. Moreover, the Chronicles were compiled in order to illustrate a stricter Confucian doctrine, intended to be the keystone to order family relationships and to govern the state.
Therefore, it cannot be said if this legend of a Jamyeong Drum 자명고, i.e. of a Self-beating drum, was a part of the former Goguryeo's Sinjip, or some "original research" added by Kim Busik in order to illustrate his own point of view.
Other narratives
This Korean counterpart of the Romeo and Juliette story has been largely used nowadays as a source of inspiration by various artists and essayists. Among them:
Nakrang Kingdom versus Lelang Commandery
The Korean 낙랑 Nakrang can either refer to: