Silla, when giants ruled the peninsula

King Muyeol was a giant in Korean history, but he was not a giant of stature as compared to some of the other ancient monarchs. Robert Neff Collection

By Robert Neff

According to legends, long before tigers smoked pipes, Korea was ruled by giants.

In the early months of year 42, a strange event occurred in the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula. The people heard a curious sound in the sky and upon looking up they saw a purple straw rope hanging down to the ground where a golden box, wrapped with red cloth, had appeared.

When the box was opened they discovered six golden eggs. The box and eggs were taken to a safe location and after 12 hours, when the box was reopened, the crowd was astonished to discover the eggs were gone and replaced by six young boys “whose faces had full, well developed figures.”

The people welcomed them and each day the boys grew bigger and stronger. After only 10 days, one of the boys (Suro) stood 272 cm tall, and five days later, he ascended the throne and became the first king of Geumgwan Gaya. His five siblings also became kings of the other Gaya states. King Suro was not only a giant in stature but also in longevity – reigning for 157 years. Another legend surrounding him claimed that his 16-year-old wife, Queen Heo Hwang-ok, was an Indian princess. Like her husband, she was long-lived: she died in 189 and he died a decade later – both were allegedly 157 years old.

An idyllic vision of the past / Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection

The kingdom of Silla had its own giants.

Cheomseongdae in Gyeongju in the early 20th century. Robert Neff Collection

King Talhae, the fourth monarch of Silla (r. 57-80), was said to stand between 207 cm and 307 cm tall and possessed a massive skull with a circumference of about 100 cm. According to legend, he, like many of the monarchs, was hatched from an egg. There is even an account that he and King Suro of Gaya had a fierce battle, each drawing upon their own magic. First, Talhae transformed into a hawk which Suro countered by changing into an eagle. Talhae then adopted the form of a sparrow and Suro a sparrow hawk). Talhae was no match for Suro and was forced to flee.

King Jijeung, the 22nd ruler of Silla (r. 500-514) had such an extremely large and long body that his search for a suitable wife was unsuccessful until he made a rather unsettling and dirty discovery in a pond which led him to his wife, Queen Yeonje – a woman who had a physique better than a strong man.

King Jinpyeong, the 26th monarch of Silla (r. 579-632) was said to stand more than 330 cm tall and was so heavy that when he stepped on a stone stairway he broke three of the steps. He was a giant amongst his people as the average height of a man was said to be only 163 cm.

Gyeongju's Bunhwang Temple Pagoda in the early 20th century / Robert Neff Collection

While his height is an interesting part of his rule, I find this legend associated with him to be even more amazing. In 582, the ghost of the previous monarch, King Jinji (r. 576-579), impregnated a peasant woman. She bore a son, whose appearance in the world was heralded by the trembling of the sky and earth. When King Jinpyeong learned of this strange event, he ordered the boy, who was known as Bihyeong, to be brought to the palace and raised. As he grew older, the youth was offered high positions in his benefactor’s court, but he refused and frolicked in the forest with a host of ghosts. Perhaps as a test, King Jinpyeong ordered Bihyeong to utilize his supernatural companions to build a bridge in a single night. The youth complied and the bridge was named Gwigyo (Ghost Bridge). It was through Bihyeong's efforts that the king appointed a ghost to his court.

Jinpyeong’s daughter succeeded him and was named Empress (Queen) Seondeok (r. 632-647). Her legacy lives on through the colossal construction feat of Cheomseongdae (star gazing tower), but, despite her father being so tall, no legends are associated with her height.

A path through a sacred grove of Silla in the early 20th century / Robert Neff Collection

However, her successor and cousin, Queen Jindeok, the 28th ruler of Silla (r. 647-654), was known for her height. She stood around 172 cm tall which was about 20 cm taller than the average woman.

Silla’s 35th monarch, King Gyeongdeok (r. 742-765), was also a giant. We don’t know how tall he was but according to legend, his penis was nearly 240 cm long. Despite being (or perhaps because he was) so well-endowed, he was unable to have a son with his first wife so he took another queen and sought heavenly aid. A priest soon informed the king that he would be blessed with the birth of a daughter but the monarch was not pleased and insisted on having a son. On behalf of his monarch, the priest again beseeched the gods and was subsequently chastised for disturbing heaven with the concerns of mortals. He was further warned that should a son be born to the king that it would bring great danger to the kingdom. Gyeongdeok ignored the warning and in 756, a son, who came to be known as Hyegong, was indeed born.

Guardians of the past / Robert Neff Collection

Gods will not be ignored or disobeyed without consequence. As a child, Hyegong enjoyed carrying a small silk purse, dressing up and playing like a little girl – much to his father’s displeasure. When his father died in 765, he ascended the throne (his mother, Queen Gyeongsu, acted as his regent). He has been described as “a man by appearance but a woman by nature” and, over the last couple of years, it has been suggested that he was perhaps transgender.

A witness to the past / Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection

Hyegong’s rule was one plagued with unrest and evil omens including the fall of several meteors, the appearance of a tiger in the palace, swallows gathered in a large number in a pear tree and the appearance of ghosts. Whether it was his weakness of rule or his effeminate nature, Hyegong’s reign was short-lived, as was his life. In 780, he and his queen were murdered during an insurrection.

Perhaps Hyegong’s successors learned from his experience that all acts have consequences, even those of a monarch, and defying the gods is done at one’s own peril. The giants ceased to rule and about 150 years later, Silla ceased to exist.

Giants, however, were not confined just to the ruling class and were found in all walks of life – as we shall see tomorrow.

I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Diane Nars for her assistance and allowing me to use some of her images.

Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books, including Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.