고을나 高乙那
One of the three divine founders in the Tamna myth; founder of the Jeju Ko clan
| Era | 신화 시대(탐라 건국) |
| Clan | 제주 고씨 |
Life & career
Go Eul-la (高乙那) is one of the three divine men of the Tamna foundation myth and is revered as the founder of the Jeju Ko clan. According to the old record Gogi quoted in the geography section of the Goryeosa, Jeju was once uninhabited until three divine men emerged from the Moheung Cave on the northern slope of Hallasan: Yang Eul-la (eldest), Go Eul-la (second) and Bu Eul-la (youngest). He is a mythic figure with no known dates, and his historical existence cannot be confirmed.
The three men lived by hunting, clothed in skins, until one day they found a wooden chest washed up on the eastern shore. It held three princesses from the land of Byeongnang along with foals, calves and grain seeds. The men married them, chose settlement sites by shooting arrows, and began farming and herding, which is the story of how Tamna began.
Three brothers in the 15th generation from Go Eul-la, Go Hu, Go Cheong and Go Gye, are said to have crossed the sea to pay court at Tamjin (today's Gangjin). The eldest received the title seongju (star lord), the second wangja (prince) and the youngest donae, and the island is said to have been named Tamna because they landed at Tamjin. Records differ on whether the court was Silla or Goryeo. His descendants are said to have kept the title of seongju into early Joseon, and the Jeju Ko honor Go Eul-la as their founder.
The Three Founders and Moheung Cave
The quoted Goryeosa account places the emergence at Moheung Cave, today called Samseonghyeol. It stands in Ido 1-dong, Jeju City, and was designated Historic Site No. 134 on 10 June 1964.
Samseongjeon and the Rites
Samseongjeon, built in 1698, holds the tablets of the three founders. Spring and autumn rites are held every 10 April and 10 October, with the Go, Yang and Bu clans taking turns as officiants, and the Geonsi rite on 10 December commemorates the founding of Tamna. In 1526 the Jeju magistrate Yi Su-dong had descendants of the three clans perform the sacrifice, an early record of the rites.
Honinji and the Order of the Three
Honinji pond at Onpyeong-ri, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo, is where the three founders are said to have married the princesses. Records sometimes list the clans as Yang, Go, Bu, and the 18th-century shrine rites ranked Yang Eul-la, Go Eul-la and Bu Eul-la, which is why Go Eul-la is called the second. His descendant Go Mal-lo is the mid-founder who is said to have come to Goryeo in 938 and received the title seongju.
Grave
There is no tomb; Samseonghyeol in Ido 1-dong, Jeju City (Historic Site No. 134), is the traditional birthplace.
Descendants
The Jeju Ko as a whole trace descent from him; the brothers Go Hu, Go Cheong and Go Gye are said to be 15th-generation descendants.