{"title":"The Allegory of King Kyŏngmun in the Samguk yusa","authors":"M. Riotto","doi":"10.1353/seo.2020.0005","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:This article investigates a story regarding King Kyŏngmun of Silla found in the Samguk yusa. In particular, the research is focused on the donkey ears the king is said to have acquired after his ascent to the throne in 861, an episode that resembles the well-known tale of King Midas of Phrygia. Given the allegoric nature of the tale, I divide the article into three parts, dealing first of all with the donkey’s symbolism in ancient Eurasia. The second section shows other literary examples of kings having horse or donkey ears, including that of Midas, in an attempt at interpreting these stories. Finally, I give my personal explanation of the passage regarding King Kyŏngmun, assessing the similarities and differences with the story of Midas. In conclusion, the tale of King Kyŏngmun, an actual historical figure, appears much more tragic, since it is deeply anchored in a precise historical context, namely, the process leading to the inevitable ruin and fall of the state after a dramatic series of uprisings and revolts.","PeriodicalId":41678,"journal":{"name":"Seoul Journal of Korean Studies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2000,"publicationDate":"2020-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1353/seo.2020.0005","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Seoul Journal of Korean Studies","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1353/seo.2020.0005","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"AREA STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Abstract:This article investigates a story regarding King Kyŏngmun of Silla found in the Samguk yusa. In particular, the research is focused on the donkey ears the king is said to have acquired after his ascent to the throne in 861, an episode that resembles the well-known tale of King Midas of Phrygia. Given the allegoric nature of the tale, I divide the article into three parts, dealing first of all with the donkey’s symbolism in ancient Eurasia. The second section shows other literary examples of kings having horse or donkey ears, including that of Midas, in an attempt at interpreting these stories. Finally, I give my personal explanation of the passage regarding King Kyŏngmun, assessing the similarities and differences with the story of Midas. In conclusion, the tale of King Kyŏngmun, an actual historical figure, appears much more tragic, since it is deeply anchored in a precise historical context, namely, the process leading to the inevitable ruin and fall of the state after a dramatic series of uprisings and revolts.
期刊介绍：
Published twice a year under the auspices of the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies at Seoul National University, the Seoul Journal of Korean Studies (SJKS) publishes original, state of the field research on Korea''s past and present. A peer-refereed journal, the Seoul Journal of Korean Studies is distributed to institutions and scholars both internationally and domestically. Work published by SJKS comprise in-depth research on established topics as well as new areas of concern, including transnational studies, that reconfigure scholarship devoted to Korean culture, history, literature, religion, and the arts. Unique features of this journal include the explicit aim of providing an English language forum to shape the field of Korean studies both in and outside of Korea. In addition to articles that represent state of the field research, the Seoul Journal of Korean Studies publishes an extensive "Book Notes" section that places particular emphasis on introducing the very best in Korean language scholarship to scholars around the world.
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