Dongmyeong of Goguryeo (), personal name Ko Chumong (), was the founding monarch of the kingdom of Goguryeo, and was worshipped as a god-king by the people of Goguryeo and Goryeo. King Dongmyeong was also an important figure for the kingdom of Baekje, as the father of its founding monarch, King Onjo.
Names
Chumong, originally Buyeo slang for an excellent archer, was his personal name. He was commonly recorded as Chumong () by various Chinese sources, including history books written by Northern Qi and Tang. This name became dominant in future writings including the Samguk sagi and the Samguk yusa. At some point in time prior to the compilation of the Samguk sagi (1145), he was given the posthumous name of Dongmyeong (), literally translating to the Brilliant Saintly King of the East.
In the earliest Goguryeo sources, such as the Gwanggaeto Stele and Tomb Epitaph of Moduru, refer to Dongmyeong by his personal name, Ch'umo (). Moduru's epitaph refers to Dongmyeong as King Ch'umo the Divine ().
His other names include Ch'umong (), Chungmo (), Nakamu, or Tomo. In the Samguk sagi, he was recorded as Chumong with the surname Ko, and was also known as Chunghae () or Sanghae ().
Life and myth
The records of Dongmyeong are often regarded as semi-legendary, and the extent to which the records are historical or mythological is debated. Much of the legend of King Dongmyeong of Goguryeo is appropriated from an earlier legend about the founding monarch of Buyeo, the similarly named . The origin myth of Buyeo's founding king was appropriated by Goguryeo monarchy in the 4th century AD to boost their own pedigree.
The founding myths of Goguryeo are told in ancient writings, including the Gwanggaeto Stele. The best-known versions of Chumo's life are found, with slight variations, in the Samguk sagi, Samguk yusa, and the "Dongmyeongwang" chapter () of the Dongguk Yi Sangguk jip.
Birth
Hae Buru, the king of Buyeo, performed religious ceremonies in hope of having a son, as he was getting old without an heir. When he arrived at Gonyeon (or Gon Pond; ), he noticed his horse was shedding tears in front of a large rock. The king issued an ordered to remove the rock, and there he found a young boy who looked like a golden frog. The king treated the boy as a gift from heaven and named him Geumwa.