Samguk Yusa

A late-13th-century Korean collection of legends, historical accounts, and Buddhist narratives about the Three Kingdoms period and earlier traditions, compiled by the monk Iryeon.

Three Kingdoms of Korea: The ancient Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla, which competed for control of the peninsula. These kingdoms provide the historical setting named throughout the collection.
Dangun: A legendary founder of Gojoseon, traditionally regarded as Korea’s first kingdom. The Samguk Yusa preserves the best-known account of Dangun’s birth and foundation of Gojoseon.
Mongol invasions of Korea: A series of Mongol campaigns against Goryeo beginning in 1231, followed by decades of Mongol domination. Iryeon compiled the collection amid the upheaval and foreign rule these invasions brought.
Korean foundation myth: The traditional narrative that traces Korea’s beginnings to Dangun’s founding of Gojoseon. The Samguk Yusa helped transmit this origin narrative across generations.
Iryeon: A Korean Buddhist monk and scholar who compiled the Samguk Yusa in the late thirteenth century. He gathered the work’s varied accounts during Mongol rule over Goryeo.
Gojoseon: An ancient Korean polity traditionally dated to the legendary foundation by Dangun. Its origin story opens the collection’s account of Korea’s ancient past.
Korean historiography: The study and writing of history in Korea across different periods and traditions. The work expands historical writing beyond the official records represented by Samguk Sagi.
Korean nationalism: Political and cultural movements that emphasize Korean national identity and self-determination. Modern national narratives have drawn on the collection’s accounts of Korea’s ancient origins.
Buddhism in Korea: The history and practice of Buddhist traditions on the Korean peninsula. Buddhist teachings and institutions shape many of the collection’s accounts.
Queen Seondeok: The first reigning queen of Silla, who ruled from 632 to 647. The collection recounts legends associated with her reign and prophetic insight.

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