The Story of Hong Gildong

by Translated

  Servants from the Ministry of War were sent out in search of Gildong, newly appointed as Minister Hong,84 but they could find no trace of him. Then a youth in a blue robe and jade belt appeared, riding high on a one-wheeled cart in a casual manner.

  He called out to the servants, “His Majesty, with infinite benevolence, has favored me with an appointment to the position of minister of war and has summoned me to court, so here I come.”

  All the servants of the ministry presented themselves to him at once. They then escorted him through roads that had been cleared for his grand procession as he went forth leisurely to present himself at the royal palace and to express his gratitude to his sovereign.

  The court officials conferred among themselves and decided to order heavily armed soldiers to lie in ambush for him outside the palace gates. “After Gildong finishes relating his appreciation to the king and comes out of the palace, pierce him with spears until he is dead.” So the court officials instructed the soldiers.

  When Gildong arrived at the gates, he descended from the one-wheeled cart and went up to the stone stairs before the king.

  He addressed the king in a prostrate position. “I, a most disloyal and wicked subject named Hong Gildong, have committed a great crime against the country and troubled the mind of Your Majesty, so I deserve to be executed ten thousand times over. Yet Your Majesty favored me by granting a wish that relieves me of my deepest frustration in life. Your benevolence knows no bounds. I would like nothing better than to dedicate myself to repaying your kindness in what paltry way I can, but Heaven has commanded me to go elsewhere. So on this day I have come to take my leave of Your Majesty, and to wish you a long and healthy life.”

  After he finished speaking, he leapt into the air and went among windy clouds to float away in their midst. As he flew swiftly through them and disappeared in a single instant, none could tell where he had gone.

  The king gazed up at his wake and praised him. “None throughout the ages could have matched Gildong’s powers. How did I think that we could capture such a person?” He spoke further. “He is not a man deserving of death, but a grand personage.”

  He immediately sent out orders to the eight provinces, canceling his command to arrest Gildong. He then spoke again. “With all his talents, he would have achieved great things if he had the opportunity to serve the country with loyalty.”

  He could not sing Gildong’s praises enough, which scandalized his officials. After Gildong took leave of the king, no report came from the provinces of any more trouble caused by him.

  • • •

  After Gildong bade farewell to the king, he returned to his village and summoned all the bandits to speak to them. “There is a place I need to visit briefly, so do not wander about but await my return.”

  On the same day, Gildong flew on a cloud in the direction of Namgyeong.85 He came to an island country called Yul,86 where he stopped to look around. It was a land of beautiful hills and rivers as well as an abundant population. He thought it a good place for him to seize, so he kept it in his mind as he resumed his journey. On his return trip, he visited another island and its natural sites, including a magnificent mountain called Ilbong. There he picked a fitting place for a gravesite and buried an insignia to mark its location. He toured the land and saw that it stretched six or seven hundred ri in every direction, with exceedingly fine waters and earth. It was a comfortable place to settle in, so Gildong thought to himself, “I will never be able to live in Joseon again, so this is a good place for me to make my new home.” He then swiftly moved on.

  The bandits awaited their leader for a number of months, until he suddenly appeared before them. They welcomed him and congratulated him on his safe return from such a long journey.

  Gildong addressed them all. “Go to Yangcheon87 in Yang District, and take enough material and manpower to build tens of ships there. Then, on a day of my choosing, take the ships to Seogang88 in Gyeongseong and wait for my order. I will go to the king and obtain unhulled rice89 from him, so make sure to meet me at the appointed time and place.” And he sent them on their way.

  One day, he ordered all remaining goods in the village to be gathered before he spoke to the bandits again. “Gather all your families and go to Seogang by the designated time, and wait for me.” And he went forth to some unknown place.

  Meanwhile, in the capital city, there had been no news of Gildong since he had taken his leave of the king. A year after he had departed, in the middle of the ninth lunar month, on a night when a fresh and chilly wind blew and the moon shone brightly, the king wanted to enjoy the moonlight, so he wandered about the back garden accompanied by tens of eunuchs.90 Suddenly, a youth descended from the clouds and prostrated himself at the palace stairs before the king.

  The startled monarch spoke out. “A heavenly official has descended from Heaven to our human world, so I bid you to tell me your purpose in coming here.”

  The youth replied while remaining prostrate. “I am your former minister of war Hong Gildong.”

  The king addressed him in surprise. “Why do you come here in the middle of the night?”

  Gildong got up and bowed to him before he replied, “All I ever wanted was to dedicate my life to serving Your Majesty. But because I was born of a lowly servant girl, no matter how much I increased my talents by mastering the Six Teachings and the Three Summaries91 and aspired to pass the military examinations through my prowess in archery, I could never join the ranks of military officers. And even after I mastered the Four Books, the Five Classics,92 and other ancient classics in the hope of passing the civil examinations, I could not work at the Office of Special Councilors.93 So I abandoned the affairs of the world and wandered about for a while, until I came to commit unseemly acts with a group of men. I have caused trouble for the kingdom and brought dishonor to my ancestors. Yet Your Majesty, through your infinite benevolence, saw fit to pardon me and to release me from my life’s frustration. My desire is to dedicate my life to serving you with the loyalty of Yong Bong and Bigan,94 to pay you back in what paltry way I can for your favor. But I know that the court would never accept me because of my lowborn status, and the world would never forget that my name is associated with banditry. It grieves me to take my leave of Your Majesty before I depart from Joseon. And I beg Your Majesty to unleash your benevolence once more and grant me three thousand seok of unhulled rice, and have it transported to Seogang. By doing so, you will preserve the lives of thousands of people.”

  The king considered his words for a while before he addressed him. “I will grant you the three thousand seok of rice as you desire, but how do you plan to transport them?”

  Gildong bowed as he replied, “I have made arrangements to do so, so I beg Your Majesty not to concern yourself about that.”

  The king spoke. “I have never looked you in the face before, so lift up your head to me.”

  Gildong obeyed but with his eyes closed, so the king questioned him. “Why do you not open your eyes?”

  Gildong replied, “I am afraid that Your Majesty might take fright, so I dare not.”95

  The king could not command him otherwise, so he dismissed him. Gildong bowed to him again. “Your Majesty has granted me three thousand seok of rice out of your infinite benevolence, so I bid you to live a long and healthy life.”

  After he finished speaking, Gildong leapt into the air and flew on a fierce and suddenly rising wind. He played a jade flute as he made his way through white clouds. The king thought Gildong’s powers very wondrous.

  On the following day, the monarch sent out an order to the officials at the Office for Dispensing Benevolence.96 “Take three thousand seok of unhulled rice and pile it up at Seogang.”

  The officials immediately gathered servants and had them transport the grain to Seogang, where it was piled up like a hill. Suddenly, tens of ships appeared, and men, women, and children, all together six or
seven thousand people, disembarked to carry the rice aboard. The people of Seogang and the servants from the Office for Dispensing Benevolence did not know what was going on, so they questioned the sailors, who answered, “The king has granted this rice to Lord Neunghyeon.”97

  Once all the rice was loaded, Gildong bowed four times in the direction of Jangan and spoke out. “The former minister of war Hong Gildong has received the favor of His Majesty. These three thousand seok of rice will preserve the lives of thousands, so His Majesty’s benevolence knows no bounds.” And they sailed leisurely forth.

  The astonished officials of the Office for Dispensing Benevolence reported the event to the king, who laughed and spoke. “I granted the rice to Gildong, so do not concern yourself about it.”

  None of his officials could understand what had transpired.

  • • •

  Gildong and his three thousand bandits, along with their families, possessions, useful tools, and the three thousand seok of rice, left Joseon on ships and sailed out to the endless ocean with their masts to the wind. They eventually arrived safely at an island called Jae98 near Namgyeong, where they built dwellings, worked the land, and traded with the merchants of Namgyeong. They also accumulated a great deal of weapons and gunpowder, and practiced military discipline.

  One day Gildong summoned the bandits and addressed them. “I need to go to Mangdang Mountain99 so I can obtain a drug to use on an arrowhead.100 Guard the island well while I am gone and await my return.”

  They requested that he return to them quickly. Gildong bade farewell to his men and crossed the sea to the land beyond, reaching Mangdang Mountain in a matter of days.

  At this time, in the county of Nakcheon101 there was a rich man whose family name was Bek and whose personal name was Yong. He had a daughter of such beauty that the moon hid itself and flowers became embarrassed before her fairness. She had also mastered the Classic of Poetry, the Classic of History, and other ancient classics.102 She was greatly beloved by her parents, who sought a scholar with the luminous appearance of Du Mokji and the literary talent of Yi Jeokseon.103 They hoped to find such a person with whom their daughter could enjoy the blissful union of the phoenix.104 Yet no man of such qualities appeared, so the couple often sighed in concern after their child reached the age of eighteen.

  One day, a sudden wind blew with such ferocity that people could not distinguish between heaven and earth. When the day finally became calm and bright, Bek Yong and his wife discovered that their daughter had disappeared. The distraught couple searched everywhere but no trace of her could be found. They could hardly eat or drink from grief as they spent all their time wandering the streets and speaking out. “Whoever finds our daughter, we will accept as our son-in-law and reward him with great wealth.” And they went about weeping in sadness.

  At this time, Gildong was traveling through Mangdang Mountain, digging up plants to use as medicine, when he suddenly realized that the sun had set behind the western mountains and birds had gone deep into the forest to sleep. The pathway he had come upon was buried in darkness, so he wandered aimlessly about the top of the mountain. After a while, he heard the voices of people talking loudly and saw fire in the distance, so he felt relieved and made his way to the sound and the light. When he came close, however, he realized that the noise was made not by humans but by hundreds of monsters. They were enjoying themselves during a break in their journey, after they had kidnapped a woman. Gildong observed them carefully and saw that while they had the appearance of human beings, they were in fact beastly creatures called uldong who had been living in the mountain for a long time, using the magical power of metamorphosis to look like people. Gildong thought to himself, “I have done much traveling across the world and seen many things, but I have never encountered such creatures before. They are a strange sight to behold. They have also taken a woman captive, so I should kill them and save her.”

  He hid himself well before he shot one of them with an arrow. The creature made a great noise before he fled with his many soldiers. Gildong chased after them, but the place was unfamiliar to him so he could not find his way in the night. Feeling sad that he had failed to rescue the woman, he spent the night in the woods. The next day, he was on his way down the mountain when he found traces of blood shed by the monster. He followed the trail for several ri, until he came upon a great building made of stone.

  Gildong went up to its stone gate, where an uldong who stood guard there questioned him. “What kind of a person are you that you would venture so deep into the mountain?”

  Gildong looked at him and saw that he was one of the monsters he had seen in the night. He was secretly pleased as he thought to himself, “Let us see how all this plays out.”

  And he spoke out. “I am a man from Joseon who makes his living by practicing the healing arts. I came up here to obtain some medicine, but then, to my embarrassment, I lost my way. I bid you to tell me the right direction to go.”

  When the creature heard those words, he questioned him further. “You say that you practice the healing arts. Can you heal a wound?”

  Gildong replied, “I possess the medical skills of Hwa Ta and Pyeon Jak,105 so a mere wound is nothing to me.”

  The joyful creature spoke out. “Heaven has sent you to us to help our great king.”

  Gildong pretended not to understand and questioned him. “What do you speak of? Tell me your story.”

  The uldong informed him. “Our great king has obtained a new wife for himself, but on our way back home an arrow came flying out of nowhere and pierced him. Not only could he not consummate his marriage last night, but the state of his health is in a precarious condition. Come and use your good medicine to let your healing skills shine forth,” he said and quickly went inside.

  He returned after a while, asked Gildong to follow him, and led him to a palace within. Inside, there was a throne surrounded by fresh grass and beautiful flowers in full bloom. An uldong lay there moaning in pain. Gildong looked around and saw a woman in the stone building who was trying to commit suicide by hanging herself from a crossbeam. Two other women were holding on to her steadfastly, preventing her from carrying out her intent. Gildong recognized the first woman as the one from the previous night.

  Gildong went before the king and spoke deceitfully to him. “I can see that your illness is not a serious one. I carry in my pocket a miracle medicine that needs to be stirred into liquid. If you take it, the poison inside your body will dissipate and new flesh will appear. With just one dose, not only will your wound heal, but you will also attain immortality, great king.”

  The uldong was filled with joy at those words and spoke out. “I did not think to take precaution against a misfortune like this falling on me, and my illness has taken me to the verge of death. How I lamented this fateful turn in my life. But you have come to me by the grace of Heaven, so now I can hope to recover my health. I beg you to use your good medicine to save me.”

  Gildong immediately took a package of drug out of his pocket, diluted it in liquid, and fed it to the creature. After a while, the uldong began hitting himself in the stomach as he screamed out in pain.

  He spoke to Gildong. “We have never had cause to become enemies, so why did you feed me a poisonous drug to kill me?”

  He then summoned all the uldongs and addressed them. “Out of nowhere, this wicked person has appeared in my life’s path, and he has murdered me. I order you to avenge my death by killing him.” As soon as he finished speaking, he fell down dead.

  All the uldongs wailed in grief as they took up their swords and rebuked Gildong. “Foul enemy, who has harmed our king and caused his death, receive the blows of our swords.” And they charged him.

  Gildong laughed out loud and talked back to them. “I did not kill your king. He has just lived out his natural span of life.”

  As the enraged uldongs came at him, he wanted to fight them, but he h
ad no weapon in hand to defend himself with. In the dire situation, Gildong flew up into the air to flee, but the uldongs were crafty monsters who had been practicing magic for thousands of years. As he aroused a tempest to make his escape, the creatures let out a noise in unison that brought them a wind that they rode in pursuit. Left with no other choice, Gildong cast a spell that summoned Heavenly Soldiers who descended from above and restrained all the uldongs. The monsters were brought down and forced to kneel before the stairs of the palace. Gildong grabbed a sword from an uldong and slaughtered every single one of them.

  He went back inside the palace for the women he had seen before, but they began to cry and plead. “We are not monsters but humans captured by the creatures, who kept us and would not let us die. We beg you, great general, spare our lives.”

  Gildong considered them before he asked for their names and places of origin. One was from the family of Jeong, another of Jo, while the third was the daughter of Bek Yong of Nakcheon County. As he listened to them, he realized that they were all women from respectable families.

  He immediately took them to Nakcheon County, where he found Bek Yong and explained what had happened. He then returned Bek Yong’s daughter to him. He and his wife were so happy to see their child again that they organized a magnificent feast and invited all their relatives and village neighbors. After they enjoyed themselves, Bek Yong accepted Gildong as his son-in-law, sparing no expense for the grandest of weddings.

  The next day, the women named Jeong and Jo asked to see Master Hong, and spoke to him with appreciation. “We were on the verge of death, but Heaven saw fit to send a great general who returned us to the world of the living. We have no wish to go anywhere without you. So we beg you, great general, not to leave us but allow us to live under your protection so that we may have the opportunity to pay you back for saving our lives.”

  Gildong could not resist them, so he made them his concubines.