Was King Yuri, the second king of Goguryeo, truly Jumong's biological son?

Samguk Sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms), Goguryeo Annals, King Dongmyeong section

'Prince Yuri (類利) fled from Buyeo with his mother; the King was delighted and appointed him as the Crown Prince.'

Samguk Sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms), Goguryeo Annals, King Yuri section

'When the broken sword Yuri brought to Goguryeo matched the sword Jumong possessed, Jumong was delighted and appointed Yuri as the Crown Prince.'

At first glance, the King Dongmyeong section and the King Yuri section seem to contain the same content, but there are subtle differences. The former states that Yuri escaped Buyeo with his mother, while the latter mentions the mother but implies in context that he escaped alone and proved his own identity as Jumong's biological child.

It seems highly likely that Yuri, like Jumong, was a figure who came from the outside. But was he truly Jumong's biological son? No one can know for sure. Ironically, the legend of the broken sword, which serves to confirm that Yuri is Jumong's biological son, has become the very basis for doubting his paternity in modern times.

The myth of King Yuri is also mentioned in the Dongguk Isang Gukjip, written during the Goryeo Dynasty. While not significantly different from the content in the Samguk Sagi's King Yuri section, it further showcases Yuri's extraordinary nature, legitimacy, and even divinity.

'It is said that Yuri possessed strange talents from a young age. As a youth, he made a hobby of shooting sparrows; seeing a woman carrying a water jar on her head, he shot an arrow right through it. The woman became angry and insulted him as a fatherless child, which made Yuri so ashamed that he shot a mud pellet to plug the hole.'

This passage shows that Yuri was skilled in archery from a young age, illustrating his extraordinary nature.

The Samguk Sagi's King Yuri section states that Yuri's identity as Jumong's son was proven when the broken sword piece he brought joined with the broken sword Jumong held. The Dongmyeong Wang section of the Dongguk Isang Gukjip also features the joining of the two sword pieces, but it differs by further emphasizing legitimacy through the use of blood.

This structure of proving kinship using blood can also be found in the shamanic myth of Danggeum-aegi, which has been passed down on the Korean Peninsula.

<Danggeum-aegi>

1. After praying to heaven, a daughter was born and named Danggeum-aegi.

2. When Danggeum-aegi became a maiden and was home alone, a monk visited and had contact with her before disappearing; subsequently, Danggeum-aegi became pregnant.

3. Danggeum-aegi was locked in a chest by her family, and within it, she gave birth to triplets.

4. As the three brothers grew, they heard insults about being fatherless; after asking Danggeum-aegi about their father, they went with her to find the monk.

5. The monk performed a paternity test on the three brothers, and after confirming that the blood of the monk and the brothers merged, he acknowledged them as his biological children.

Since this is a shamanic myth that existed across the entire Korean Peninsula, the details vary slightly by region. The Danggeum-aegi described above is a summary centered on the versions passed down in the northern regions of the peninsula. Furthermore, this story of Danggeum-aegi is very similar to the narrative structure found in the myths of Jumong and King Yuri.

Another difference between the Dongguk Isang Gukjip and the Samguk Sagi is that Jumong does not easily accept Yuri as his biological son even after the incident with the broken sword. Instead, he tells Yuri to demonstrate his divinity if he is truly his child, giving him an additional test. Similar content can be found in the story of Danggeum-aegi.

In response to Jumong's demand, Yuri demonstrates his divinity by stepping upon the light entering through the window. Regarding the Chinese character 乘 (seung/ride) in 乘牖中日 (stepping on the sun in the window), some interpret it as "blocking" and speak of confinement, but personally, I believe it was used in the sense of "riding" to emphasize a divine ability to freely control sunlight (the sun). I believe this part was created to signify that he is "a person with equal qualifications to Jumong."

Book of Wei, Biographies of Goguryeo

'Upon learning that Jumong had become king, he soon fled with his mother; his name was Yeodal, and the king entrusted the affairs of the state to him.'

In the Book of Wei, one of the official Chinese historical records, a figure presumed to be Yuri appears. Here, he is named Yeohae, and it is said that after escaping Buyeo with his mother and coming to Goguryeo, he used the name Yeodal. While there is no mention of him becoming the Crown Prince, the record that Jumong "entrusted the affairs of the state to him" suggests that the tide of power shifted toward Yuri, whether voluntarily or involuntarily.

In September 19 BC, Jumong died. This happened 19 years after Jumong became king of Goguryeo and only 5 months after Yuri arrived in Goguryeo.

Just as the record that 'Yuri performed the funeral with a jade whip' raises questions about Jumong's body, the gap of about 5 months between Yuri's arrival in Goguryeo and Jumong's death leaves much room for imagination.

Looking at the myth of King Yuri—which contains a narrative of leaving one's home, meeting new people, settling in a new region, and possessing the extraordinary nature, legitimacy, and divinity required of a hero—it feels less like a myth about Jumong's son and more like another "Jumong myth."

Could Yuri have been an outsider who inherited the throne from Jumong during the chaotic final years of his reign, a time when even Jumong's body might have gone missing? Perhaps at some point in later generations, he was redefined as Jumong's son, leaving behind only the part of the royal succession narrative involving tests and blood-based paternity proof that descended from the northern regions.

Summary

1. A narrative structure between the Jumong myth and King Yuri myth that is like a decalcomania.

2. The King Yuri myth seems to utilize paternity verification legends that circulated in the northern regions.

3. Yuri appeared only after Jumong had been king of Goguryeo for 19 years.

4. Records stating that authority was handed over as soon as Yuri arrived in Goguryeo, followed by Jumong's passing 5 months later.

5. Yuri performed Jumong's funeral with a jade whip.

6. I wonder if this is a case similar to Seok Talhae of Silla.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a thumbs up!

Actually, this post was originally more focused on the idea of usurpation. That's why I generated the image based on the legend to make it look like Jumong and Yuri were fighting lol. The fact that Jumong handed over authority as soon as Yuri appeared, passed away 5 months later, and the record suggesting Jumong's body went missing sparked a lot of imagination, so I set the direction toward the interesting theme of usurpation. Of course, this usurpation theory has a major weakness: the fact that Jumong's subordinates who helped found Goguryeo, such as Mari, Oi, Hyeopbo, and Bubunno, appear in the records during King Yuri's era. Considering that early Goguryeo was a state composed of a confederation of tribes, I thought that although they were with Jumong, they belonged to their respective tribes and might have joined hands with Yuri for the benefit of their tribes. Even during Prince Yi Bang-won's "Strife of the Princes" in the Joseon Dynasty, subordinates picked and cherished by Yi Seong-gye or those who lived like biological brothers sided with Yi Bang-won, so I thought this could easily have happened in the BC era. Or, though this might be a stretch, those figures in King Yuri's time might not have been from Jumong's era but were fabricated lol. However, since the likes didn't go up as much as I expected, I eventually deleted the usurpation theme and slightly changed the title and text to "Is Yuri truly Jumong's biological son?" The end!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. The hidden kings of Baekje who disappeared from history??

https://www.fmkorea.com/9806416422

2. A program praised for its great portrayal of the history of the Three Kingdoms.mp4

https://www.fmkorea.com/9824083061

3. An unfortunate Chinese movie undervalued because of its title and poster

https://www.fmkorea.com/9831768969

4. A Romance of the Three Kingdoms movie that was criticized for breaking the setting but had a cool direction

https://www.fmkorea.com/9834568520

5. Did the people of Baekje cross the sea to found their country?

https://www.fmkorea.com/9852064604

Source: https://www.fmkorea.com/best/9904211467