[Editor’s Note: This essay to be posted as sequels is from the second volume of the S/HE journal. See S/HE: An International Journal of Goddess Studies (Volume 2 Number 1, 2023). Page numbers and footnote numbers differ in this page.]
The Divine Bell of Seongdeok the Great
The Name Text of the Divine Bell comes in two sections the Main Words (the prose part) and the Verse Words (the poetry part), (see Figures 24-1 and 24-2). The Main Words is made of 24 lines (630 characters), whereas the Verse Words comprises 21 lines (407 characters). A total of 1,037 characters, the text contains rich data and deserves a study on its own. The author of the Main Words is Gim Pilo, whereas the Verse Words is
Out of the whole text, I have selected relevant segments to introduce and discuss. Gim Pilo, a middle ranking officer, writes:
- Because the utmost way includes the exterior of forms, its source is invisible in the eye. As the big sound vibrates between heaven and earth, its echo is inaudible in the ear. That is why words are spoken as theory. That is to help people see through the profound meaning of the three-fold truth. The Divine Bell installed high awakens the Unhindered Sound of the One Ride.
The Divine Bell appeals beyond human faculty. While words spoken as theory are to help understand the mind the three-fold truth, the Divine Bell is to invoke “the Unhindered Sound of the One Ride. This literature is distinguished from the other ancient texts of the kind, e.g., the Daodejing (Classic of the Virtuous Way), in the sense that its perception of ultimate reality goes deeper beyond the metaphysical nature but also the sonic property.[1] The expression, “the Unhindered Sound of the One Ride (一乘之圓音),” captures the matriversal reality of WE/HERE/NOW. I have translated “seung 乘 (ride or vehicle)” as “a ride” rather than “a vehicle,” the latter which is commonly adopted by Buddhologists.[2] “A ride” depicts an action of being in transition, whereas “a vehicle” concerns a transportation to enable transition. The former indicates a journey itself, whereas the latter something makes a journey possible.
- Its voidness amplifies the sound, which makes its resonance linger. Its heaviness makes it immovable, which makes its body immutable. Thus, it is apt to engrave the great achievements of the ruler on the bell, whose purpose was to halt people’s suffering.
The bell is hollow inside to amplify the sound. The language is literal and metaphoric at the same time. The void in the bell’s body augments the sound. The gigantic weight of the bell makes it immovable and immutable. Such properties of the bell are associated with the duties of a ruler. The literal, the metaphorical, and the political are interwoven. And the ruler’s achievement lies in his or her duty to halt people’s suffering. Note that it is the ruler who is attributed to the divine nature of the divine bell not the Buddha or a monk. Buddhism is subverted from the core.
- Humbly speaking, Seongdeok the Great soared in virtue like mountains and rivers. His Majesty’s fame was esteemed high like the sun and the moon. His Majesty appointed the loyal and the good to offices and had them administer seasons and customs with care. Venerating propriety and music, His Majesty looked after folk lives. Agriculture was supported in the field, whereas no extravagant products circulated on the market. People of the time abhorred gold and jade but cherished literary talents. Rather than living in despair by the unexpected death of his son, His Majesty kept that in heart and took heed in life till his old age. For about forty years of his administration, His Majesty diligently attended to state affairs. His Majesty did not frighten people by waging war even one year. Thus, neighboring states in four directions and surrenderers from far admired His Majesty’s way of governing and did not attempt to invade us militarily. It is praised that Yan and Qin [ancient Chinese states] appointed people properly, and that Qi and Jin [ancient Chinese states] alternated in conquering. However, how can they be addressed on a par with His Majesty? It was hard to predict the time of death, nonetheless. The nights of a thousand autumns passed quickly. It is the 34th year this year since His Majesty passed on.
The segment C concerns the 33rd ruler Seongdeok the Great (r. 702-737) to whom the Divine Bell is dedicated. Seongdeok was the second son of Queen Sinmok and the 31st ruler Sinmun the Great, the protagonist in the myth of the Pacifying Flute (see [Table 1]). His first son, the crowned price, begotten from his first consort, Queen Seongjeong, died at a young age.[3]
Historical sources confirm that the 35 year-rule of Seongdeok the Great was an era of peace and stability. What they often neglect is that Seongdeok, following in the footsteps of his grandfather ruler Munmu the Great (r. 661-681), took the non-military policy.[4] Noteworthy is the account, “His Majesty did not frighten people by waging war even one year. Thus, neighboring states in four directions and surrenderers from far admired His Majesty’s way of governing and did not attempt to invade us militarily.” His pacifist policy was aligned with the vision of Unified Silla, restoring the matriversal confederacy of Old Magoist Korea. In fact, the Magoist cetacean devices including the whale-dragon bells, the Pacifying Flute, and Manbul-san testify to the pacific matriversal policy that Unified Sillan rulers distinguished themselves from the counterparts of patriarchally armed ancient China.
- A filial successor, Gyeongdeok the Great, inherited the great royal task and attended to the duty of the crown prince. Because His Majesty lost his mother at a young age, however, His Majesty’s longing for her became stronger as time went by. With an overwhelming task of royal instructions, his sorrow grew deeper in the chambers of the palace. His Majesty’s wish to benefit their spirits grew ever stronger. Thereupon, His Majesty donated 120,000 geun [about 72 tons] of copper to cast a bell of 1 gil [about 3 meters]. However, His Majesty suddenly passed away without realizing his wish.
The 35th ruler Gyeongdeok the Great (r. 742-765) was the second son of Seongdeok. Sources confirm that his mother Queen Mother Sodeok died young. The above account indicates what motivated Gyeongdeok to donate the copper for the casting of the Divine Bell. His love and longing for his deceased mother propelled him to envision the casting of a gigantic bell. Commemorating a deceased ruler for his life haunted by his longing for his deceased mother throughout his lifetime weighs rather maternal than paternal. Such tone reflects a matricentric voice of the male writer. Obvisouly, a patriarchal voice is absent in the language of whale-dragon bells. The Name Text of the Divine Bell, after all, showcases a Magoist cetacean male perspective.
As shown in [Table 7], both Seongdeok and Gyeongdeok were the younger brothers born from the same mothers as their deceased older brothers respectively. Each of them succeeded their older brother who died at a young age. In the case of the 32nd ruler Hyoso (r. 692-702), he was enthroned at the age of six and his mother, Queen Mother Sinmok allegedly ruled on his behalf as a regent.[5] In the case of the 34th ruler Hyoseong (r. 737-742), he died at the age of 20 or 21. To be noted is that his coffin was burned “in the south” and the ash was spread in the East Sea (Sea of Whales).[6] Such a funeral rite was likely the legacy of the Sea Tomb of Munmu the Great in Whale Harbor. The fact that the throne was succeeded from the older son to the younger son owes to the matriarchal leadership of the Sillan republic, which maintained the royal matrilineage (see [Table 4]).
Seongdeok comes in the fourth generation of the Taejong Muyeol lineage, the grandson of the 30th ruler Munmu the Great. However, this is only a patrilineal view of the royal lineage. I have discussed earlier that the Middle Period (196-785) is marked by the second major royal matrilineage, the Sulryeo lineage, from which women married rulers and/or bore sons who became rulers. The Sulrye lineage halted for the first time during the reign of Seongdeok (see [Table 7]).[7] Sinmok, mother of Seongdeok was the last queen of the Sulrye line (the 16th generation), whereas Sodeok, mother of Gyeongdeok, was from outside the royal matrilineage. Moreover, it is likely that there was conflict between the two sub-groups of the royal matrilineages. In the 10th generation of the Sulyre lineage, there are two branches, the Bodo sub-lineage and the Odo sub-lineage. Queen Sinmok, mother of Seongdeok, comes from the Bodo line. Seongdeok had two queens because the first queen’s two sons failed the throne. The first son died young as a crown prince, and the second son became a Buddhist monk.
The matriarchal leadership of the Sillan court was on the verge of disintegration during the reign of Gyeongdeok. We have discussed above that Gyeongdok himself is said to have expressed his preference of a male heir to a daughter at the risk of a state. Such an anecdote explains the impending political turmoil for his son, the 36th Hyegong and Regent Queen Mother Manwol, a topic to which I shall return shortly.
Concerning the whale-dragon bell, Gyeongdeok was no ordinary ruler. He is associated with the wind-powered cetacean device of an artificial mountain paradise (Manbul-san). His first consort Queen Sammo is known to have commissioned the Great Bell of Hwangyongsa. The original plan of the Divine Bell project was conceived and prepared by Gyeongdeok. However, Gyeongdeok was not able to commence the project before his death. His dowager Queen Manwol, also the Regent of their son Hyegong the Great (r. 765-780), implemented the project and brought it to completion. As shown below, the Name Text specifies Queen Mother as the chief director of the Divine Bell project.
| The Sulrye Lineage (1st– 9th generations) | |||||||
| 10-1 Bodo (+23 Beopheung) | 10-2 Odo | ||||||
| 11-1 Jiso | 11-2 Okjin | 11-3 Geumjin (+24 Jinheung) | |||||
| 12-1 Songhwa | 12-2 Manho 26 Jinpyeong | 12-3 Heungdo | 12-4 Sado (+24 Jinheung) | 12-5 Nanseong | |||
| 13-1 Maya (+26 Jinpyeong) 27 Queen Seondeok | 13-2 Manryong | 13-3 Manmyeong | 13-4 Jido (+25 JInji) | 13-5 Eunryun | |||
| 14-1 Cheongmyeong 29 Taejong Muyeol | 14-2 Boryong | 14-3 Munmyeong (+29 Taejong Muyeol) 30 Munmu | 14-4 Munjeong (+29 Taejong Muyeol) | 14-5 Hahui | |||
| 15-1 Jayi (+30 Munmu) 31 Sinmun | 15-2 Yoseok | ? | |||||
| 16-1 Sinmok (+ 31 Sinmun) 32 Hyoso 33 Seongdeok | Sodeok (+33 Seongdeok) 34 Hyoseong 35 Gyeongdeok | 16-2 Seongjeong (+ 33 Seongdoek) | Suro | ||||
| 17 Saso 37 Seondeok | Sammo (+35 Gyeongdoek) | ? | |||||
| Manwol (+35 Gyeongdeok) 36 Hyegong | |||||||
[Table 7: Two royal sub-matrilineages of the Bodo and the Odo]
- Our current saintly Majesty is in accordance with the royal ancestry in his act and accordant with the utmost principle in his heart. Unparalleled auspiciousness has frequented now more than in the past. Splendid virtue manifests today. The dragon cloud above the capital has showered the rain of ancestral virtue on the jade stairs of the palace. The thundering drum of the Ninefold Heaven echoes on the golden palace. In the suburban forest and in the field wherein fruit trees and rice plants grow, crops are hanging heavily. A colorful cloud-like haze shines through the capital brightly. These signs, which once appeared at the time of His Majesty’s birth, have reappeared when His Majesty attends to the royal affair.
The section E praises the current ruler, Hyegong. Noteworthy is the word “dragon cloud.” And the dragon gives rain. The cetacean influence is limited to the seas and oceans. In fact, the mythos of an ascending dragon abundantly recurs in lore and customs.[8] Rain is also a cetacean metaphor for ancestral virtue. Ancestors who bequeathed the matriversal sovereignty of Old Magoist Korea are utmost revered and loved. The poetic language, which connects the dragon cloud, rain, ancestral virtue, and the palace of Sillan rulers, reflects the cetacean thought held by the royal court. The celestial realm, the matriverse, is perceived as ninefold, as shown in the word “Ninefold Heaven.” And the thunder is metaphorized as a drumming of the ninefold matriverse! The meteorological phenomenon is no punishment or a supernatural force to fear but a blessing upon the ruling house. Rain is the cetacean blessing for all planetary beings. Rulers in alliance with divine whales are part of the dragon force.
- In my thought of reverence, Queen Mother is impartial like the earth in Her Majesty’s grace. Her Majesty enlightens people by way of her benevolence. With her mind as shimmering as the heavenly mirror [the moon], Her Majesty has encouraged filial piety between the father and the son [Gyeongdeok and his son, Hyegong]. In the morning, Her Majesty takes advice from the wise like Wongu [king’s maternal uncle]. In the evening, Her Majesty composes her words with the help of the loyal subjects. How can there be any falsity in Her Majesty’s act? Honoring his last words [the will of late Gyeongdeok], Her Majesty has realized His Majesty’s long-cherished wish.
The writer pays his final salute to Queen Mother, the director of the project. Put differently, Queen Mother is mentioned last in the order of Seongdeok, Gyeongdeok, and Hyegong. Nonetheless, a patriarchal assumption that the Divine Bell project was instructed by Hyegong still goes uncheck today. The 13th century text, the Samguk Yusa, appears to be the origin of such a mistaken assumption. The Sanguk Yusa, after briefly explaining how the Divine Bell project fell under the hand of Hyegong, concludes that the Name Text is too complicated to record it.[9] The fact that Ilyeon, the Buddhist author of the Samguk Yusa, did not treat the Name Text seriously proves vital in ascertaining that the Name Text was not about Buddhism per se. That said, one who reads closely the Name Text cannot miss the fact that it speaks of Queen Mother as the project commander.[10] Authority of Manwol is overtly pronounced in the above segment. The ensuing Verse Words makes it clearer that she is the main figure of the bell project:
How great our Queen Mother!
Her Majesty esteemed Seongdeok the Great highly.
As auspicious auguries frequented,
spiritual symbols accompanied each time.
Where the Head is wise,
the Heaven aids.
It is a peaceful era,
and the country is calm.
Diligent in revering ancestors,
Her Majesty accomplished her oath as she intended [Italics added].[11]
Manwol is revered and praised for her disposition of being “impartial like the earth.” Given the political challenges that she faced, the writer compares her to the all-embracing earth. Her rule is not just legitimate, but nature given. Her name Manwol (Full Moon) is affirmed in the phrase, “the heavenly mirror,” which indicates the moon. The expression, “her mind is as shimmering as the heavenly mirror,” is an encodement that she represents the sovereignty of Mago, the Creatrix, as the moon represents the Sun. She establishes morality among men by instructing the propriety of filial piety between the father and the son. She leads the way of keeping peace and order in society and the world. Queen Mother Manwol connects the worlds, the representative of shaman head mothers. She takes advice from the wise and formulates her words with the help of her subjects. Her rule is faultless.
In summary, the Name Text conveys the graveness of the Divine Bell project for the ruling house. Note that the high-rank officers, Gim Ong[12] and Gim Yangsang, the latter who became the next ruler, Seondeok the Great (r. 780-785) in the aftermath of a rebellion, mark the entry in the billing block. In the Name Text, the Buddhist thought is represented as a background rather than a main content. No content of convoking Buddhist piety is present. In any case, a Buddhist perspective would be limiting in capturing the pre-Buddhist thought of Magoist Cetaceanism.
- With the excellent preparation in Yusa (Department Office), the craftsmen produced the frame of the bell. It was the month of Wolgeon [December] of Sinhae Year [771]. The sun and the moon shone one after the other. And eum and yang were balanced. The wind was warm, and the sky was tranquil. The Divine Vessel was completed in harmony! It looked like a standing mountain with the reverberating sound of a dragon. It soared through the highest peak of heaven (有頂天 yujeongcheon) and reached below through the bottomless valley. Those who had a look praised its magnificence. Those who heard its sound were blessed.
The completion of the Divine Bell took place on a clear and calm day. The Manwol court was finally able to bring forth the Divine Bell! It was an inter-cosmic event. The identity of the whale-dragon bell is spelled out in the sentence, “It looked like a standing mountain with the reverberating sound of a dragon.” The whale-dragon bell is a salvific vessel for humankind. And its sonic force penetrates the matriverse, “It soared through the highest peak of heaven (有頂天 yujeongcheon) and reached below through the bottomless valley.”
- May you hear the far-reaching clear sound and rise to the
law of non-words.
May you be united with the brilliant mind of the three-fold knowing (Sammyeong 三明) and dwell in the Real Realm of the One Ride.
May the royal descendants thrive forever like the gold branches.
May the royal task prevail like an iron-surrounded mountain.
May all people ride waves together in the ocean of wisdom, move out of the territory of dust, and enter together the path of realization.
The segment H, an invocation, conveys the eighth century Sillan blessing issued from Queen Mother Manwol. Narrowly, it concerns the salvific message to individuals and the forthcoming Sillan royal house. Manwol foresees what is fast approaching; her court will fall to the hands of rebels. And she and her son will be deposed from the royal task. Broadly, it is a statement to the people of the world. The whale-dragon bell is here to unfold the ultimate reality of WE/HERE/NOW, “the Real Realm of the One Ride.” There is the One Unified Home, our planet earth. Sovereignty lies in Mago, the Creatrix. She wishes that the matriversal rule lives on after her and forever. The royal task may be protected as “an iron-shielded mountain” by those who discover and self-define with it. Noteworthy is the positive meaning of “riding waves.” Waves are not the destructive force that threatens life here. But they are issued from “the ocean of wisdom,” the condition of living or being in Life. Nothing remains static, as divine whales sing and churn water from the seas and oceans to the above. And the dragon cloud in the sky carries water back to the lands and the seas and soaks all planetary beings. We ride waves together to “move out of the territory of dust,” and to “enter together the path of realization.”
The Verse Words comprises all six stanzas (see the Appendix III). Due to the complex and metaphoric nature of the poetic language, I limit my discussion to the first stanza, leaving out the rest for a future discussion elsewhere. The first stanza utters the cosmogonic beginning, the beginning of polities on earth, and the beginning of Silla. The fluid language of the first stanza is imbued with a sense of nostalgia and pride in Sillan self-identity as the People of Mago, the Creatrix.[13] Such words as “The East Sea,” “Seons,” “Mt. Peach,” “the State of Busang (Nurturing Mulberries)” invoke the bygone mytho-histories of Old Magoist Korea, which are directly issued from the Magoist Cosmogony. History is perceived in a non-linear manner within the inter-cosmic view of ultimate reality. Time/space/perceivers are inseparable, which enables the reality of the ever-beginning reality of WE/HERE/NOW. From such a worldview rises a transcendental perspective.
- As stars are patterned in the matriverse,
four directions are marked on Earth.
Mountains and rivers lie in tandem,
and polities are bordered widely.
In the edge of the East Sea
lies the hiding place for a multitude of Seons [Magoist Transcendants].
Where the valley of Mt. Peach [Mt. Peach Capital]
borders with the Land of Busang (Nurturing Mulberries),
there is our Land,
the One United Home.
I break the above stanza into three parts: The first four lines concern an inter-cosmic layout of the universe, the earth, natural and political geographies. It betrays a bird-eye view that sees from “the highest peak of heaven (yujeongcheon 有頂天)” to “below through the bottomless valley,” expressed above. An interdependent worldview is revealed: Stars populate the matriverse, from which the planet Earth is given the four directions. Mountains and rivers running side by side embrace the packets of human societies. Human polities are part of the whole.
As stars are patterned in the matriverse,
four directions are marked on Earth.
Mountains and rivers lie in tandem,
and polities are bordered widely.
The following two lines zooms into the old history of Magoist Koreans. Note the broad stroke that touches a long span of time. The lapse of millennia is carried in words and between lines. A multitude of Seons nestled in the coastal regions of the East Sea, which refers to the Budo Joseon confederacy of Three Hans (2333 BCE-232 BCE) from which Early Silla proceeded. The coastal regions of the East Sea, the southeast sea of present China, was the land of Budo Joseon.[14] The Seon or Sinseons, commonly transliterated as Immortals (神仙 Shenxian in Chinese) in Daoism, refers to Magoist Transcendants.[15]
In the edge of the East Sea
lies the hiding place for the People of Seons [Magoist Transcendants].
The last four lines proclaim the Land of Magoist Koreans/Sillans as “the One Unified Home.” Early Silla rose in the valley of Mt. Peach. The capital city of Early Silla, Mt. Dodo (挑都山 Mt. Peach Capital), is revealed.[16] Noteworthy is the eponymous progenitor of Sillan rulers, Holy Mother of Mt. Seondo (Peach Magoists).[17] A pervasive theme of Mago/Magoism with the peach symbol in East Asian lore, literature, and art is unraveled.
Where the valley of Mt. Peach [Mt. Peach Capital]
borders with the State of Busang (Nurturing Mulberries),
there is our Land,
the One United Home.
Together with the motif of Mt. Peach, the mulberry tree frequents in Magoist literature, known through Daoism in the West.[18] Historically, the State of Busang (Nurturing Mulberries) is associated with the land of sunrise. I maintain that the sunrising place with regards to Busang refers to the Land of pre-Chinese Magoist Koreans wherein shaman head mothers administered. Sources note that the matricentric custom of the State of Busang. Among them is below:
The State of Busang… lies in the East of China. The state name comes from the fact that they have many mulberry trees…. They have a written language. They produce paper from the bark of mulberry trees. Because they have no military, they do not attack or wage war against others. There are two prisons, in the south and the north operated by the state law. Those who commit a minor crime are imprisoned in the southern jail, whereas those who commit a major crime are imprisoned in the northern jail… According to the matrimonial law, a man goes to the woman’s house and builds a residence outside of her house. He sweeps and cleans the area in the morning and the evening daily. If the woman does not like him even after a year, she expels him. If they are fond of each other, a marriage takes place.[19]
(To be continued)
[1] Comparison of the Name Text of the Divine Bell and the Daodejing is not farfetched. Sources have it that the Daodejing was given to the Sillan court by the envoy of Tang China in 738 during the reign of Hyoso the Great. Given that the royal house of Tang China traced back its ancestry from Laotzu, the alleged author of the Daodejing, the court of Regent Queen Mother Manwol was likely to express the royal ancestry to Mago, the Creatrix. See the Samguk Sagi, Volume 9. My insight that Laotzu is a Chinese patriarchal rendition of Mago, the Creatrix, weighs here. Considering that Sillan court officials were doubtless aware of the Daodejing, it is vital to ascertain that the Name Text of the Divine Bell was a self-defining manifesto of the Sillan court.
[2] Traditionally, Koreans deem a span of life as a ride (rather than a vehicle). For example, this ride (이승) means life in the physical body, whereas that ride (저승) means after the physical life.
[3] Seongdeok had another son by Queen Seongjeong who became a Buddhist monk. The matrilineage of Seongjeong became restored during the reign of the 37th ruler Seondeok, her grandson. However, Seondeok marks a precursor of chaos in the succession politics of the throne. Silla enters the Late Period characterized by political instability without the royal matrilineage.
[4] After defeating Tang China, Munmu buried his arms wherein a temple, Mujangsa (Temple Buried Arms), was built (Samguk Yusa, Volume 3). Furthermore, Munmu is known for melting weapons to forge agricultural tools (Samguk Sagi, Silla Bongi). That said, there was a significant difference between Munmu and Seongdeok. Firstly, the royal matrilineage, the Sulrye lineage, was rapidly weakening during the reign of Seongdeok. Secondly, Seongdeok himself married a non-Sulrye lineage woman, Sodeok, with whom he begot his two sons, the second of whom was the 35th ruler Gyeongdeok the Great (see [Table 1]). Thirdly, he consolidated a diplomatic tie with patriarchal Tang China.
[5] Hyoso is noted for a part in the myth of the Pacifying Flute (Samguk Yusa). In short, the political vision of the Pacifying Flute (Manpasikjeok) was reassured by renaming it as the Pacifying Flute that Defeats and Defeats All of All (Manmanpapasikjeok). This accounts for the regent rule of Queen Mother Sinmok for his son Hyoso (also the consort of his predecessor the 31st ruler Sinmun). The reign of Empress Wu Zetian (r. 690-705) of Tang China overlaps with that of Hyoso the Great. Sources have it that she mourned the death of Hyoso (Samguk Yusa and Samguk Sagi).
[6] See the Samguk Yusa Volume 1 and the Samguk Sagi (Volume 9).
[7] [Table 7] shows the 17 generation royal lineage, the Sulrye line with names of lineage carriers. The yellow highlighted word after “+” and a number kept in parentheses, e.g. “(+23 Beopheung),” under the lineage carrier’s name indicate the ruler consort of the queen. The light-blue highlighted word following a number placed under the name of a mother or queen, e.g. “26 Jinpyeong,” indicates that he or she is the child who was enthroned as ruler.
[8] One of the cetacean customs adopted by Buddhism is, in my assessment, Danggan-jiju, a set of stone or metal posts to which an ascending dragon and its flag, danggan, is placed at the top.
[9] Samguk Yusa, Volume 3.
[10] Cheolje Jo is one of the experts who have translated and studied the Name Next. He asserts that the Name Text highlights Queen Mother Manwol as main authority of the Divine Bell casting based on the grounds: (1) Manwol is mentioned at the last in both the Main Words and the Verse Words. The Main Words mentions in the order of Seongdeok, Gyeongdeok, Hyegong, and Manwol, whereas the Verse Words are in the order of Seongdeok, Gyeongdeok, and Manwol. (2) She is addressed as Queen Mother in the Main Words. (3) Hyegong, Manwol’s son, is omitted in the Verse Words. See the interview article with Cheolje Jo, Byeongjun Jo, “One who completed was Queen Mother Gyeongsu, the mother of Hyegong,” Seorabeol Sinmun, March 10, 2015, http://m.srbsm.co.kr/view.php?idx=23630. Also see Hyun-ju Lee. “A Study on Self-Awareness,” 139-165.
[11] See Appendix III.
[12] Gim Ong is possibly a brother of Queen Mother Manwol.
[13] A sense of nostalgia and pride runs through almost all forms of Magoist data, which I have documented. See Hwang, The Mago Way, 99-101.
[14] The move of the capital to Gyeongju, the southeastern city of the Korean Peninsula by the Sea of Whales, marks a new period, the Middle Period.
[15] Daoism has severed the notion of seon or xian from Magoism, which is introduced in the West. It is of utmost importance to tie the Seon and Magoism. See Hwang, “Mago,” 8.
[16] Young-Sung Choi notes “the valley of Mt. Peach with Mt. Peach Capital (Dodosan). See Young-Sung Choi, “Study on the Words Carved on Seongdeokdaewang-Shinjong (Divine Bell of King Seongdeok) with a New Viewpoint,” Hanguk Cheolhak Nonjip Vol 56 (2018), 38. Mt. Peach is associated with Seondosan Seongmo (仙桃山 聖母Holy Mother of Mt. Peach Transcendants), the mother of Silla’s first ruler, Hyeokgeose, and possibly his queen, Alyeong. It is unclear if the placename, Mt. Peach Capital, was pre-Sillan and if Early Silla succeeded it.
[17] Do-Gyeong Gwon postulates that the Myth of Dohwanyeo (Peach Flower Maiden) is related with the Holy Mother of Mt. Seondo, the progenitor of Sillan rulers. Sillans and post-Silla Koreans have the custom of utilizing peach seeds and branches in expelling or propitiating ghosts. SeeDo-Gyeong Gwon, “A Study on the Background of the Customs of Dosandomok (桃山桃木 도산도목) and Mokrangdudeul (木郞 豆豆里목랑두들) in the Myth of Dohwanyeo (도화녀(桃花女) and Bihyeongrang (비형랑(鼻荊郞) and the Structure of Ruler Jinji’s Court,” Gubi Munhak Yeongu, No 38 (2014): 170-1. Considering that a number of peach-shaped earthenware were excavated in the regions of Silla and Gaya and that some of them are dated to the bronze period, I posit that the theme of Mt. Peach Capital is much older than the Silla period. See “Peach-shaped Earthenware,” Busan Yeoksa Munhwa Daejeon, accessed March 29, 2023, http://busan.grandculture.net/Contents?local=busan&dataType=01&contents_id=GC04205750.
[18] The field of mulberry trees indicates sericulture developed in the area in that silkworms feed on mulberry leaves. Sources indicate that sericulture flourished in Budo Joseon. See the Handan Gogi (Old Histories of Han and Dan), Taebaek Ilsa. In lore, Magu is told with regards to the phrase, Sangjeon Byeokhae (桑田碧海the field of mulberry trees became a deep sea). The Maguzhaun (Biography of Magu) by Ge Hong (284-364) ends with the following account:
Magu said, “After I met you last time, I saw that East Sea changed three times and turned into mulberryfields. When I went to Mt. Penglai this time, the water level was reduced as low as half of before the time when the conference of immortals was held. In my opinion, it will become land not long after.” Replied Wang Yuan [read Wang Fangping] in awe, “As ancient sages said, water ascended to the air” [Italics and brackets are mine].
Quoted in Helen Hye-Sook Hwang, “Seeking Mago, the Great Goddess: A Mytho-Historic-Thealogical Reconstruction of Magoism, An Anciently Originated Gynocentric Tradition of East Asia,” Ph.D. Dissertation, Claremont Graduate University, 2005, 340.
[19] Quoted from The Liangshu (梁書 History of Liang). Also see Chapter 69 in The Nanshi (南史 History of Southern Dynasties) Volume 79, accessed March 29, 2023, http://contents.nahf.or.kr/item/item.do?levelId=jo.k_0014_0079_0050_0010#self.