memorabilia of three kingdoms

책 소개

I was at first inspired by the thought that not many people know Korean stories. To many foreign people, it is usually K-POP or Kimchi that comes into mind when thinking of Korea. In my opinion, stories are windows to knowing about foreign cultures. Or at least, they instill some curiosity toward a new type of culture. I still remember reading a folktale about a girl named Elizabeth and wondering, “Why does her name have four syllables when mine has only three?” Similarly, I wished I could find some way for other people to come across Korean culture in this manner. That is why I decided to translate Samguk-Yusa into English. Samguk-Yusa(三國遺事), which means “Me-morabilia of Three Kingdoms,” is a historical record written by a Buddhist monk Iryeon, who lived during the Goryeo dynasty. It records events and stories from the very start of Korean history - from Kochosun to Unified Shilla. Samguk-Sagi (三國史記, History of Three Kingdoms) is another prominent historical collection of documents about the Three Kingdoms era. Samguk-Sagi - as its name clearly shows - is purely official history. On the contrary, Samguk-Yusa mainly consists of myths and unofficial history that have some historical significance. Samguk-Yusa is not only interesting collection of Korean history and legends, but could also be called one of the first renowned historical documents. Its significance lies here, that it records Korean history from the very start. Greek and Roman myths play the role of foundation for many Western cultures: similarly, Samguk-Yusa is one of the cornerstones of Korean culture. I hope through this book, at least a few people will be able to see not only the modern Korean culture, but also the ancient root of Korean culture that has defined the outline of Korean people since 5000 years ago.

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