정몽주의 신화화와 역사소비

Abstract

Examined in this article is how the worshipping of Jeong Mong-ju began, and how he turned into a historic, almost mythical figure. Jeong Mong-ju came to be considered as the symbol of undying loyalty, and after King Taejong of Joseon ascended to the throne, Jeong’s status was reinstated in the wake of Taejong himself arguing the importance and noble nature of loyalty. Later it was decided to enshrine Jeong Mong-ju at the Munmyo Shrine of Joseon, while Jeong was officially declared as a Sage. Ever since the 16SUPth/SUP century, it is reported that he was enshrined at three different civilian Seoweon schools as well.BR The poem named Danshim-ga(丹心歌, “Heart of Unwavering Loyalty”) which was written by him, and the story of his honorable death at the Seonjuk-gyo bridge, both gradually turned into mythical tales. The latter in particular was blended with a Chinese story from the past, and as a result began to feature certain mythological elements. At the Seonjuk-gyo bridge even a monument for King Yeongjo was erected, and the place itself came to be regarded as a holy site. The Danshim-ga poem became a popular song often recited by the public as well.BR At the end of the 19SUPth/SUP century, the story of Jeong Mong-ju’s death was even more dramatized, and a novel named Sheonjyuk-gyo based upon Jeong Mong-ju’s life story was introduced to the book market. And while this novel failed to attract huge popular attention, Jeong Mong-ju’s legacy lived on through newspapers and journals in the 1920s nonetheless. Donga Ilbo was the one which used to post articles regarding Jeong Mong-ju the most. Publisher Song Jin-wu even praised him as the most important historical figure of the entire Goryeo period.BR The aforementioned Sheonjyuk-gyo had nothing to do with Park Jong-hwa’s Cheongsan-eui Hanjum heukdeul: Seonjuk-gyo-eui Byeokhyeol (“A handful of Cheongsan mountain’s soil; Honorable blood spilled on the Seonjuk-gyo bridge”), but it may very well have inspired as well as shaped the structure of Jeong Mong-ju’s life story as we know it today. It has been so very much since the old Joseon days. All the stories we know about him have apparently been created during the latter half of the Joseon period.