[spam?] RE: [KS] Hwan-Ung - Illegitimate?

Yong-ho Choe choeyh at hawaii.edu
Mon Jun 21 17:53:07 EDT 2004


I don't think we should read too much into the term "seoja" as it was used 
in the Samguk yusa.  I read "seoja" to be a son other than the eldest 
legitimate heir.  Remember the discrimination against "seoja" (or sons born 
of concubines or secondary wives) did not begin until early Choson dynasty 
and it took awhile this discrimination to take a deep root.  So, at the 
time when Iryon wrote Yusa, there was no discrimination against 
"seoja."   Besides, "seoja" does not always mean a son of concubine: it 
also means not a "cheokja"---that is, not the eldest son.


At 09:26 AM 6/19/2004 +0000, you wrote:

>Greetings-
>
>I do not see any reason to try to find some "better" word for "son of a 
>2nd wife/concubine". Since we are in a myth, any modern legal or even 
>moral thinking is certainly out of place (have fun and read some Greek 
>mythology for a change...) Anyway, I read this fact placed so prominently 
>in the beginning of the myth as an early indication that there is 
>something special about  Hwanung, something which distinguishes him from a 
>"purely Heavenly being and content with that" from the very beginning, and 
>is thereby from the very beginning of the story preparing the listener for 
>his desire to leave Heaven and descend to live in the beautiful Korean 
>mountains.
>
>Besides, what is worse: being descendents of a concubine, or being 
>descendents of a she-bear...
>
>Greetings, Your Werner Sasse
>
>
>
> >From: Bert Edens <bedens at apprenticeis.com>
> >Reply-To: Korean Studies Discussion List <Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
> >To: Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws
> >Subject: [KS] Hwan-Ung - Illegitimate?
> >Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2004 15:22:27 -0500
> >
> >Greetings, all...
> > I know there are several references to Hwan-Un being the
> >illegitimate son of Hwan-In, but are there any references as to the
> >story behind it? Or do they just say that he is, and leave it at
> >that? Especially considering the "clan / totem origin" possibilities
> >of the Dan-Gun myth, it makes me wonder about this...
> > Thank you in advance for everyone's time.
> >
> >- Bert Edens
> >
> >
> >
>
>
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Yong-ho Choe
Department of History
University of Hawaii
Honolulu, HI  96822

Tel: 808 956-6762 (office)
Fax: 808 956-9600
e-mail: choeyh at hawaii.edu





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