Eldest of the three divine founders of Tamna in the Samseong myth; founding ancestor of the Jeju Yang clan
| Era | 탐라 |
| Clan | 제주 양씨 |
Yang Eul-la is the eldest of the three divine men, with Go Eul-la and Bu Eul-la, said to have emerged from the Moheung Cave on the northern slope of Hallasan. The Jeju Yang honor him as their founding ancestor. As a mythical figure he has no recorded dates.
The three are said to have married princesses from the land of Byeongnang and begun farming with the grains and livestock they brought, founding Tamna. His surname is said to have been written 良 originally and later changed to 梁.
According to an old record quoted in the Goryeosa, three divine men emerged from three holes on the northern slope of Hallasan: Yang Eul-la, Go Eul-la and Bu Eul-la in order of age. Living by hunting, they are said to have met three princesses of Byeongnang who arrived by the eastern shore in a wooden chest, married them, and began farming with the grains, calves and foals they brought. This is myth and should be kept distinct from verified history.
Sources differ on the order. The Samguk yusa, Goryeosa and the geography section of the Sejong sillok give Yang, Go, Bu, while the Yeongju-ji and Tamna-ji give Go, Yang, Bu. After Jeju magistrate Yi Hyeong-sang placed Yang Eul-la first in the tablet order of the Samseongsa shrine in 1703, "Yang, Go, Bu" has generally been followed. In the myth Yang Eul-la settled at Jeil-do, the "first capital".
Samseonghyeol in Jeju City is said to be where the three emerged and is a designated Historic Site. Magistrate Yi Su-dong is recorded as enclosing it with a stone wall and raising a stele in 1526 to begin rites, and a shrine to the three (today Samseongjeon) was built in 1698. Today spring and autumn rites are held there on 10 April and 10 October, and the Geonsi rite on 10 December.
Honinji pond at Onpyeong-ri, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo, is said to be where the three held their wedding. A tale also says the three shot arrows to choose where to settle (Samsaseok); a stele set up in 1735 by magistrate Kim Jeong is reported to have been unearthed in 1997. Details differ among sources.
The Jeju Yang honor Yang Eul-la as founder, and clan tradition says a descendant, Yang Tang, went to Silla as envoy around 559 and received the surname 梁. This early genealogy depends on clan tradition and is hard to verify. After Goryeo the lines are organized from Yang Bo-sung (Yugyeok-gong branch) and Yang Gu-mi (Seongju-gong branch).
No tomb is recorded; Samseonghyeol (Moheung Cave) in Jeju City, a designated Historic Site, is revered as the birthplace of the three founders.
Founding ancestor of the Jeju Yang; other Yang seats such as Namwon, Naju and Chungju are known as offshoots.