P'yŏnnyŏn T'ongnok: The Foundation Legend of the Koryŏ State

¦Articles P 'yònnyòn T'ongnok: The Foundation Legend of the Koryö State MICHAEL C. ROGERS In Korea as in China, the overthrow of one dynasty and its replacement by another were events of far-reaching significance that stimulated the imaginations of people of all classes, generating a profusion of stories about what had happened and why. The climate of magicomoralistic determinism was such that a central theme of these stories was the build-up of virtue and power in the persons of the dynastic founder's ancestors. For without the latter's continuing spiritual support the founder (for all the heroics attributed to him personally) could never have succeeded in the "great undertaking." Officials of the fledgling dynasty had their own reasons for accepting that kind of material: it provided grist for the legitimation mill. Popular values and beliefs were built into the stories that were current among the common people; with appropriate editing and embellishment they could be turned to good account in the essential undertaking of convincing the people that their new rulers were paragons of wisdom and virtue who enjoyed heaven's favor and that of the myriad local deities. Such legends formed the substance of officially sponsored ritual, the regular performance of which was entrusted to local magistrates. Koryö's codification of ritual was heavily influenced by Chinese models; Research for this article was completed during sabbatical leave from die University of California, Berkeley, assisted by a grant from the university's Humanities Research Fellowship Program. This support is gratefully acknowledged. Abbreviations used in the notes are listed alphabetically with their full citations before the bibliography, following this article. References to bibliographic listing are by name and year of publication. 4 Journal ofKorean Studies indeed by the standard of "self-integrity" (chuch'e) KoryS represents a step backward from Silla.1 Official sanction apart, however, it is evident that local spirit cults, particularly those associated with mountains , were amalgamated with Buddhist and Taoist belief and practice and had a great vogue, especially in the countryside. The educated shared in large measure the popular belief in spirits, though their attitude was characterized by a curious ambivalence that persisted into the Yi period.2 Like several of the Chinese dynastic histories, the official history of Koryo (KoryìS-sa [KRS] ) begins with a chapter on the careers of the predynastic ancestors. This genealogy of Koryo {KoryÒ" segye [KRSG] ) begins with a brief notice that in 919 the founder Wang KOn (T'aejo) honored three generations of his ancestors with posthumous titles; the Veritable Records of T'aejo (Taejo sillok) are given as authority for this information, which appears also in T'aejo's annals. The genealogy in question is represented by the diagram at the top of the following page. Immediately following this spare entry and comprising the great bulk of the genealogy chapter is an extended quotation from the PyiSnnyiin t'ongnok (PNTN), a work attributed to a man named Kim Kwanui, who was active during the reign of Uijong. Here we find 1.In SUIa the indigenous mountain-and-river sacrifices were divided, in the Chinese manner, into "great," "middle," and "small" (SGSG, k. 92: Yi/Sagi, p. 314, trans., p. 498). KoryS also had a threefold division of sacrifices, but with a significant difference: all the indigenous cults were placed in the small category (KRS, k. 63); the other two categories (great: KRS, k. 59, 60, 61; middle: KRS 62) consist of rituals borrowed from China (see Han U'giïn 1976, pp. 17Of.). The compilers of the KRS chapters on rites depended heavily on the ritual compendium ascribed to Ch'oe Uniii, who did his work by order of Uijong (see n. 25 below). 2.The tension between belief in spirits or their rejection is illustrated by the career of Ham Yuil (1106-85), who served under Injong, Uijong, and Myongjong (biog.: KRS, k. 99. 26a-28b). As intendant of bridges and roads under Uijong, he made the expulsion of shamans and the destruction of shrines his main concern. Unfortunately his iconoclastic efforts usually elicited a spirit response that only served to strengthen both popular and royal support for various cults; his...