The Legend .
Profile .
- Movie: The Story of the First King's Four Gods / Legend
- Revised romanization: Taewang Sasingi
- Hangul: 태왕사신기
- Director: Yun Sang-Ho, Kim Jong-Hak
- Writer: Song Ji-Na
- Network: MBC
- Episodes: 24
- Release Date: September 11 - December 5, 2007
- Runtime: 60 min.
- Language: Korean
- Country: South Korea
story :
Hwan-ung, the Son of God, descends to earth and builds a country
called Jyusin. Before the founding of Jyusin, there existed the Tiger
Tribe, which worships a tiger, and the Bear Tribe, which workshops a
bear. Ga-jin, a member of the savage Tiger Tribe who continues to harass
Hwan-ung, and Sae-oh, a member of the Bear Tribe who falls in love with
Hwan-ung, are both Jujak, or gods of fire. However, the three form a
love triangle. Mad with jealousy, Ga-jin throws the child of Sae-oh and
Hwan-ung from a cliff. Blinded by grief and rage at the loss of her
child, Sae-oh sets the world ablaze. Hwan-ung ultimately kills his love,
Sae-oh, to save the world. Ga-jin also kills herself atop a cliff, and
the tragic love story of the three comes to an end. Later, Hwan-ung
imprisons his followers—Baekho (White Tiger), Cheongnyong (Blue Dragon),
Hyeonmu (Black Turtle), and Jujak (Phoenix)—in objects and foretells of
a new king who will rule Jyusin who will be born on the day the stars
of Jyusin light the sky thousands of years later. He then returns to the
heavens after ordering these four gods to awake at the right time and
aid the king of Jyusin.
Thousands of years later, the stars of Jyusin light up the sky
and a son is born to each of the Royal family and the Yeon family, the
highest noble family of the Goguryeo Kingdom. The Crown Prince Dam-deok
pretends to be weak and slow from childhood because of people’s attempts
to harm him. Leading a lonely life in the palace, Dam-deok befriends
Gi-ha, a female priest from the Hwacheon Group, and Yeon Ho-gae, who was
born on the same day as Dam-deok.
Yeon Ho-gae’s mother, who believes her son must be the king of
Jyusin because he was born on the day the stars of Jyusin lit up, plots a
conspiracy to poison the king. However, with the help of Gi-ha,
Dam-deok exposes the conspiracy and Yeon Ho-gae’s mother kills herself.
Yeon Ho-gae begins to hate Dam-deok as he learns that Gi-ha, who he had
feelings for, loves Dam-deok and believes that Dam-deok is responsible
for the death of his mother. While fighting the generals and noblemen of
the Hwacheon Group, who try to make Yeon Ho-gae king, Dam-deok falls
victim to a conspiracy. In the end, Dam-deok’s father is killed and
Dam-deok, in the heat of a crisis, one by one discovers Hyeonmu, Jujak,
Baekho and then Cheongnyong. Is it really possible for Dam-deok to
become king as foretold by his destiny thousands of years ago?
Characters
Damdeok (담덕) .
The prince of Goguryeo, and also the reincarnation of
Hwang-woong. (It should be noted that the same actor plays both Hwanwung
and Damdeok.) He came across a girl named Kiha while he was reading a
book at night, and later came to her again to ask her to heal his father
who was poisoned by Hogae's mother. He had grown to a pleasant young
man, but in his heart he always suffered because of Hogae's mother who
had committed suicide, causing Hogae to believe that Damdeok killed her.
He was later found to be the destined King of Jyushin. In order to
protect him before he becomes the king, he asked him to not show his
true self to anyone, where in he pretended that he has no skills,
especially in fighting. The image he showed to everyone was not hidden
just by him and his father but he also trusted Kiha about him being a
good fighter. It also prevented him from being harmed by people who
wanted the throne, who didn't see him as a threat.
However, he proves himself to be an excellent fighter and a schemer who can win entire castles without a s:He was enraged at the idea of the tribal leaders that the King of Jyushin must be a powerful warrior who can command his army to dominate the world easily. His intention was to unite the world as a brother, not as a coingle casualty on both sides. This was done by avoiding killing, and instead providing love for his future people. Despite being betrayed by his officials, he still saw them as his people.
At the end of the series, he realizes that the task of the King of
Jyushin was to answer the gods whether humans needed their help to
continue surviving. He answers by unsummoning (through breaking the
Cheongung/천궁: literally Heavenly Bow) the heavenly artifacts of
heaven to avoid killing more people, especially Kiha who was then about
to release her power which would consume the world again and of the Four
Gods. The answer he told the gods was that he should return the powers
and that humans could carry on by themselves. Having said that, he
returned to the heavens, leaving behind his lover Sujini and son (who
was bore by Kiha) on earth.
Sujini (수지니) .
The mistress of the Phoenix, the reincarnation of Sae-oh. When
she was just a little baby, she was hidden in a pot of beans by her
sister, Kiha to protect her from danger. Then a village called Hyeon mu,
adorning white cloaks found her. It was after they heard a cry from
Sujini as a baby, there they found her and saw a phoenix sign embossed
on her forehead that only the black Phoenix can have they knew she is
the dreaded Black Phoenix. Due to that they always look after her
carefully and never allow her to play with fire. The leader was about to
kill her, however, one person, Hyeon Go, denied having seen the black
phoenix sign but a red phoenix instead. He promised if she became one,
he will kill her with his own hands.
Sujini was pick up as an orphan by Hyeon Go and considered him as
her teacher. Growing up in the tribe where men are her companions she
developed a boyish traits, but still she was kept by the tribe tenderly.
Sujini’s life was hard so she really "loved" money especially used it
for buying wine. The way she earned money was quite interesting and
funny. She met Damdeok by chance one day while she was getting in
somewhat little trouble and Damdeok helped her. Naturally, they had
become friends since then. When she got into trouble again, they were
watching a polo games. Therefore one more time Damdeok helped her. At
that time she discovered that he is actually a prince.
Damdeok frequently sneaked out of his palace into the streets.
Sujini and Damdeok often wandered together and she commonly helped him
when he got into trouble. Their relationship was strengthened over time.
Sujini also gave a big contribution helping Damdeok to recognize
himself as the king of Jyushin (because of the conflict with Hogae). She
always tagged along with him, even onto the battlefield. Sujini was
very good at archery (It should be noticed that the artifact that
protected Jyushin King's life is also a bow). When she discovered that
she was the one that would release the black phoenix she chose to live
alone. She thus moved away without Damdeok's knowledge and brought up
the son of Damdeok and her sister. After nine years, they met again but
Damdeok had by then realized she was the one he truly loved.
Kiha (기하) .
The reincarnation of Kajin, the Mistress of the Earth. She was
born as a noble in Sabi Castle just like her sister, Sujini. On the day
of the arrival of the night of the Jyushin star, the forces of Hwacheon
struck the province and killed everyone in sight. Before being killed by
the warriors, Kiha's mother instructed her to protect her sister,
Sujini, no matter what. Kiha obeyed by hiding Sujini in a pot of beans
before fainting in the smoke caused by the fire that the Hwacheon forces
started. While unconscious, the heart of the Phoenix exploded in a form
of watery energy, extinguishing the fire to save her and her sister.
She was discovered shortly afterwards by someone from Hwacheon, the
master-of-fights of Hwacheon, and taken to the base of Hwacheon clan.
The Daejangro branded her to control her, while using her power of the
Phoenix to regain his youth. She was trained in martial arts by Saryang,
who developed an elder-brotherly feeling for her and even save her
child and went against Hwacheon to help her(although he treated her with
high respect to his death & she as a close friend and elder brother
since he has always look after her since young).
She met Damdeok by chance one night in the royal library and began
to fall for him. Their relationship was going well, until the day that
Damdeok's father staged his death that made it seemed that Kiha
assassinated him to protect Damdeok. She became a cold person since,
especially after seeing Damdeok having a good time with Sujini. She came
to think herself to have been 'used'. Later finding that she was
pregnant, she decided to reform the whole of Goguryeo for her child. She
went as far as deciding Hogae to be suitable for the father for her
child even though her love for Damdeok never disappeared. At the end of
the series, she unwillingly and accidentally cut her and Damdeok's child
on the finger and had the power of heaven. Sujini realized that Kiha
has the power of the black phoenix, releasing fire but not releasing the
black phoenix instead.
Hogae (호개) .
The rival of Damdeok. At first he was very open and pleasant towards
Damdeok, but after his mother's death he resolved to take revenge. This
was combined with his character changing devastatingly to a cold, cool
type from a warm, pleasant person. He had been winning many battles as
early as his teens, and grew to a powerful warrior. He joined Hwacheon
to kill Damdeok. He was killed by Damdeok in the last battle after
killing Damdeok's right-hand general, Gouchung. Damdeok impaled him with
the very spear that Hogae used to kill Gouchung. However, Damdeok's
look showed great remorse even as he threw the spear, and possibly Hogae
came to understand him in his final moments. (His face at death was not
enraged. Instead, his eyes were tearful and pure, perhaps implying that
he finally understood Damdeok.)
Hyeongo (현고) .
The leader of the Geomul village and the master of Hyeonmu. He carries a
stick given to him when he was appointed as the leader of Geomul. This
stick is the Heavenly Artifact of the Turtle-Snake. He is slightly
irresponsible and does not act his age enough. Sure enough, he cheated
customers by claiming to be an astrologer. He was the leader of the
masters of the Four Gods, and was therefore to identify the King of
Jyushin and serve him. Damdeok called him his 'Teacher' and asked him to
teach him the basics of a king. (Note: His final fate in the drama was
never shown.)
Cheoro (처로) .
The master of Cheongryong who fights with a spear. He became the
lord of the Gwanmi fortress of Baekjae at a mere ten years of age when
his father infused Cheoro with the symbol of the blue dragon. Though
this made him much more powerful, Cheoro's skin became covered in a blue
bark-like substance (because the dragon's element is wood), and always
wear a mask. Damdeok was able to remove the artifact, and Cheoro began
to serve under him. He is very silent, loves being with trees and
forests and it is implied that he loves Sujini, as his previous
incarnation as the Blue Dragon loved Sae-oh
Jumuchi (주무치) .
- The master of Baekho who fights with an axe. The leader of the Talgal Mercenaries, he served under Damdeok under the promise that Jumuchi's people will have their land returned to them. His three rules to be hired are 1. not to attack anyone from the rear 2. not harm women, children, or the elderly 3. If he dislikes the client's face, he will not accept. Despite this he did not betray Damdeok even risking his life for him.
- Saryang (사량) .
- The right-hand man of Daejangro of the Hwacheon. He has long gray hair and a mask that obscures 1/3 of his face. He has ninja like attributes such as great speed and proficiency with shurikens and blades. He is a caretaker for Kiha when she was younger, and appears to be one of the few people who truly care for her. He ultimately betrays the Hwacheon clan at Kiha's request to be on her side, and is used as a shield by Daejangro when Kiha attempted to kill him, dying before Kiha's eyes.
Korean mytholog .
Hwan-woong
(환웅):
A son of the god in the heavenly world. He had longed to live in the surface world for long until he was finally given permission to do so. He was said to have brought three Guardians of the world: the Blue Dragon, the White Tiger and the Black Turtle-snake. After marrying a woman who was born as a bear, he had a son and returned to the Heaven.
A son of the god in the heavenly world. He had longed to live in the surface world for long until he was finally given permission to do so. He was said to have brought three Guardians of the world: the Blue Dragon, the White Tiger and the Black Turtle-snake. After marrying a woman who was born as a bear, he had a son and returned to the Heaven.
His heavenly artifact is the Cheongung (천궁) which normally takes the
form of a fancy cylinder and enlarges to form a glowing white bow. It is
said to be able to either kill or give life to anyone it shoots. And
its destruction means the death of the King of Jyushin and the
unsummoning of the Heavenly power. Before the coming of the King of
Jyushin, it was sealed inside a royal sword named Chumoshin(추모신검), which
should release the seal when the heart of the King of Jyushin was
introduced to it: that is, when it were to impale his heart. When this
was done, it exploded in bright light and disintegrated to fine ash-like
mystic powder, revealing the Cheongung in it.
Black Turtle-Snake (현무/Hyeon-Mu):
The ruler of the North and the guardian of the rain, hence the alternative name Usa (우사/雨師: Rainmaster).
The ruler of the North and the guardian of the rain, hence the alternative name Usa (우사/雨師: Rainmaster).
Its heavenly artifact is a black cylinder that is usually shaped as a
long twisted walking stick. It awakens when "The King of Jyushin feels
'dark rage' in his heart." When it awakens, the time stops along with
everything other than its master and the King of Jyushin, enabling the
leader of the Four Guardians to identify the King.
White Tiger (백호/Baek-Ho):
The ruler of the West and the guardian of the winds, hence the alternative name Pungbaek (풍백/風伯: Windleader).
The ruler of the West and the guardian of the winds, hence the alternative name Pungbaek (풍백/風伯: Windleader).
Its heavenly artifact is a white twisted piece of metal, awakens when
"The King of Jyushin feels 'innocent courage' in his heart."
Blue Dragon (청룡/Cheong-Ryong):
The ruler of the East and the guardian of the clouds, hence the alternative name Unsa (운사/雲師: Cloudmaster).Its heavenly artifact is a bluish stone that looks slightly like a shellfish.
The ruler of the East and the guardian of the clouds, hence the alternative name Unsa (운사/雲師: Cloudmaster).Its heavenly artifact is a bluish stone that looks slightly like a shellfish.
It is said to activate when "The King of Jyushin feels 'cold purpose' in
his heart." When activated, it can weaken the power of the wielder of
fire. It was also shown to speed the healing of its master when in
physical contact with him.
Red Phoenix
(주작/Jujak):
The ruler of the South and the guardian of the fire. It is not a subordinate of Hwan-woong, and was portrayed as becoming evil when its 'host' is engulfed with anger. Unlike its actual incarnation, it controls fire, resembling Bonghwang (봉황) more than Jujak.
The ruler of the South and the guardian of the fire. It is not a subordinate of Hwan-woong, and was portrayed as becoming evil when its 'host' is engulfed with anger. Unlike its actual incarnation, it controls fire, resembling Bonghwang (봉황) more than Jujak.
Its heavenly artifact is a large red gem orb. It awakens when "The
King of Jyushin feels 'burning passion' in his heart." It glows in red
when activated.
For the first time in Korea, a king has been associated with the Four Gods. King Gwanggaeto
is generally considered as one of the greatest rulers in the history of
Korea. The Four Guardians were found engraved in his tomb (as in any
other king's), inspiring the drama.
cast:
- Bae Yong-joon as Damdeok / Hwan-woong
- Lee Ji-ah as Sujini / Sae-oh
- Moon So-ri as Seo Kiha / Kajin
- Oh Kwang-rok as Hyeon-go
- Choi Min-soo as Daejangro ("Leader") of Hwacheon Clan
- Yoon Tae-young as Yeon Hogae
- Park Sang-won as Yeon Garyo
- Lee Phillip as Cheoro
- Park Sung-woong as Jumuchi
- Park Seong-min as Saryang
Supporting cast.
- Yoo Seung-ho as young Damdeok
- Park Eun-bin as teenage Kiha
- Kim Eun-seo as 5-year-old Kiha
- Oh Seung-yoon as young Hyeon-go
- Shim Eun-kyung as young Sujini
- Kim Ho-young as young Hogae
- Lee Hyun-woo as young Cheoro
- Park Jung-hak as General Go Woo-cheung
- Jang Hang-sun as Heukgae
- Kim Hyuk as Dalgu
- Kim Suk as Dalgu's friend
- Shin Eun-jung as Dalbi
- Kim Mi-kyung as Bason
- Min Ji-oh as Soidooroo
- Baek Jae-jin as Buldeul
- Hong Kyung-yeon as Dae Shin-kwan
- Jung Yoon-seok as Ahjik
- Lee Da-hee as Gakdan
- Song Kwi-hyun as Jo Joo-do
- Woo Hyun as wheat seller
- Kim Sun-kyung as Hogae's mother
- Dokgo Young-jae as King Yang
Best movie, best casting best director. Everything is best. Incomparable to me until now.
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