Geumwa of Dongbuyeo

Geumwa of Dongbuyeo
Hangul	금와왕
Hanja	金蛙王
Revised Romanization	Geumwa Wang
McCune–Reischauer	Kŭmwa Wang

Geumwa was the second ruler (48 BCE – 7 BCE) of Dongbuyeo. (East Buyeo), an ancient kingdom of Korea. His story is recorded in Samguk Sagi, Samguk Yusa and Book of King Dongmyeong.

Birth and background

Geumwa (金蛙 or 金蝸) was the son of Hae Buru, who was the king of Dongbuyeo. According to the Samgukyusa, Hae Buru was old and without an heir, when he found a gold-colored frog-like (or a gold-colored snail-like) child under a large rock near Lake Gonyeon. Hae Buru named the child Geumwa, meaning golden frog(or golden snail), and later made him crown prince.

Hae Buru established Dongbuyeo when he moved the capital east to Gaseopwon (가섭원, 迦葉原) by the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

Reign

Jumong's departure

Geumwa became king after Hae Buru's death. At Ubal river (우발수, 優渤水), south of Mount Taebaek, Geumwa met Yuhwa (유화, 柳花), the disowned daughter of the river god, and brought her back to his palace. She was impregnated by sunlight and conceived Jumong.

Geumwa's seven sons resented Jumong, and so did he. He attempted numerous times to destroy Jumong when he was an egg, but later gave up, as the egg was indestructible. Jumong later ran away to Jolbon, or former Bukbuyeo, where he later established Goguryeo.

Mother of Goguryeo

Lady Yuhwa, Jumong's mother, died. Geumwa gave her the burial of a Queen Mother^[1](Queen Mother of Goguryeo), despite she had never been queen. Jumong sent numerous gifts to Geumwa in gratitude of caring for his mother, and peace was seemingly restored between the two kingdoms.

Death

Geumwa died, and the throne was passed to his eldest son Daeso. King Daeso attacked Goguryeo during the reign of its second ruler, King Yuri. Goguryeo's third ruler King Daemusin attacked Dongbuyeo and killed Daeso. After internal strife, Dongbuyeo fell, and its territory was absorbed into Goguryeo.

References

↑ Samguk Sagi (in Chinese). 王母柳花薨於東扶餘　其王金蛙以太后禮葬之