Samsunghyeol, the birth place of three gods

 

▲ Samsunghyul is located in the downtown of Jeju-si, near KAL Hotel Jeju
Three holes are dug in the ground. No rain and snow fill in the holes as they are protected by invisible strength. So what makes the three holes a sacred place? What story is in the three holes? About 4,300 years ago, the only things we could see in Jeju were clouds, sea and Halla Mountain.

 
One day, holy energy from Halla Mountain came to the land and made three gods. The gods named ‘Eul Na’ and have different family names Go, Yang and Bu, were born in three holes which is called ‘Samsunghyeol’ nowadays. After they were born in the holes, they led their life together, helping each other. In their peaceful life, one change happened. They found a treasure chest, covered with purple soil, floating on a wave in the sea. The three gods followed the wave and finally got the treasure chest. In the chest, there were egg-shaped storages, a messenger wearing a violet uniform, and three beautiful princesses.


The messenger said to the three gods, Go, Yang and Bu, “I’m a messenger comming from ‘Byuck Lang’, and the three princesses are here to marry you.” And he continued, “The king of ‘Byuck Lang’ has these three princesses but hasn’t found husbands suitable for them. Just in time, our king found out that you live here, the sacred place, and thought it would be good to send his daughters to marry you, three gods. So please be the king of the island and make here flourish with these three princesses.”

 
The three gods, according to the king’s words, got married to the three princesses. They divided Jeju into three parts and ruled their own districts. They did farming, raised livestock with grains and animals from ByuckLan; their place constantly flourished and finally became a country called ‘Tamna’.

 

By Kim Yeon-Joo

 

 

Sul Moon-DaeHalmang (Halmang:Grandmother, Jeju’s vernacular)

 

▲ The story said, Sul Moon-Daehalmang made some mountains
A long time ago, Sul Moon-DaeHalmang lived. She was very tall and powerful. She decided to make JejuIslandin the middle of the sea. Using her skirt, she carried soils. Her skirt was worn old, had many holes. Mounds of earth fell on allJeju Island while she moved. Many hills were made in that time. Also, she made Halla Mountain but she cut the peak and threw it away because Halla Mountain was very tall.

The Peakof Halla Mountain became Sanbang Mountain. DarangsheHill’s crater was made when Sul Moon-DaeHalmang punched the hill’s peak. SeongsanIlchulbong’s lamp stone was known as her lamp when she sewed at night. She put her foot on Ghoantal Island and Mara Island when she washed her cloth. Woo Island was known as her washboard. During washing the cloth, she passed water which was very powerful. Maybe, because of that reason, the tidal current is rough between Woo Island and Seongsan until now.


Sul Moon-DaeHalmanghad got no underwear. She proposed Jeju people that if the people make her underwear, she would make a bridge between the island and mainland Korea. They needed hundred rolls of silk for the underwear but they gathered ninety-nine rolls of silk. So they could not make underwear for the huge grandmother. She quit makingthe bridge. Stone islands of Jochun and Sinchonwere known as the traces.


Sul Moon-DaeHalmang was lonely. So she married the great and tall Sul Moon-DaeHarubang (grandfather). She gave birth to 500 sons. She dropped in to a very big pot when she cooked soup for her sons. She died. But her sons did not know that; they ate the soup. They finally realized that they ate their mother. They wailed and became stone. The stone is ObekJanggoon (500 general) on Youngsil rock in Halla Mountain.


We may know that Sul Moon-DaeHalmang is human as she quitted building bridge when she did not get underwear. Also the story that she died when she made soup for her sons shows that she is the poor mother’s model of self-sacrifice. We can see this as the model of Jeju women who lived in barren land.

By Moon Jae-Woong

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