The Birth Myth of Gim Alji
by Silla on 2020-02-09
One early spring morning of the 9th year of reign of Suk Talhaih (AD 60), Hogong, the premier, awoke at the sound of a rooster crowing. When he looked out the window, he saw a mysterious bright light from the sky shine on the Original Forest, located to the North West of the Bonwon Castle and heard a rooster crowing in the forest.
Hogong walked carefully into the forest. There, a white rooster was crowing at an old tree and a brilliant golden box hung on the main branch of the tree. The mysterious light was shining on the box.

Hogong thought that it was not a usual thing, ran into the Bonwol Castle and informed it to King Suk Talhaih.
King Suk Talhaih said,
"The Original Forest is the holy place which the sun shines on for the first time of day and it was considered as sacred from before the beginning of the kingdom. The rooster is a divine animal which sweeps the dark and brings the right. This is an omen that the right comes to this kingdom. I should go to see it."
When the king arrived at the place, the sun was about to rise over Mt. Nom.
The golden box was brilliant and the white rooster kept on crowing while fluttering wings and raising a crest.
The king bowed the sky and brought down the box carefully.
There was a pretty male baby smiling.
At this time, all kinds of animals and birds in the forest sang and danced and the leaves of the forest shook merrily.

The king named the baby as Gim Alji meaning a baby out of a golden box.
The king appointed the baby crown prince and named the kingdom Guereem meaning the forest of a rooster.
AD 80, King Suk Talhaih died and Gim Alji conceded the throne to Bok Pasaa, the son of King Bok Yuri.
After hundreds of years, Gim Michoo, a descendant of Gim Alji, became the king of Guereem.