In the ancient period, three rival kingdoms existed on the Korean Peninsula – Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. Lasting from the early 4th to mid-7th centuries, the Three Kingdoms period was characterized by the struggle over territory spanning the peninsula and part of present-day Manchuria. Among the three dynasties, the northernmost kingdom of Goguryeo occupied the largest territory. The warrior state was founded in 37 B.C. by Jumong, who later became King Dongmyeong, which means “King of the East.”

There are varying explanations as to the origin of the founding monarch of Goguryeo. In one legend, recorded in an old history book called The History of the Three Kingdoms, Jumong is the son of Hae Mo-su, the son of heaven, and Yuhwa, the daughter of the river god. The river god disapproved of his daughter’s relationship with Hae Mo-su and expelled her. As Hae Mo-su had already returned to heaven, Yuhwa became the concubine of King Geumwa of the Buyeo state. Later, she gave birth to an egg. To destroy the egg, King Geumwa ordered it to be abandoned and fed to animals. But the animals did not consume the egg. On the contrary, they protected it from harm. The king had no choice to but to return the egg to the mother, Yuhwa, who kept it in a warm place for hatching. From the egg hatched a baby boy, who was later named Jumong, which means “skilled archer.” The grandson of both the heavenly emperor and the river god indeed had excellent archery skills.

The king’s sons became jealous of Jumong, who left the state to follow his father Hae Mo-su’s dream of unifying northern territories that had been split up at the time. Legend has it that when he reached a fast-running river, turtles and other creatures of the water suddenly appeared to form a bridge for the future king. In 37 B.C., Jumong established Goguryeo to become the first king of the dynasty and reunited five different tribes into one kingdom.

After founding Goguryeo, Jumong took Go, from Goguryeo, as his last name. He died in 19 B.C. at the age of 40. His kingdom, Goguryeo, prospered and developed into a strong regional power to expand its territory north into south-central Manchuria, now part of northeast China, and down south to the Hangang River that flows through present-day Seoul. Goguryeo lasted for 705 years and was ruled by 28 successive kings in the Go family until it fell to the alliance of the southeastern kingdom of Silla and the Tang Dynasty of China in 668. According to historical records, a small statue of Jumong’s mother, Yuhwa, bled for four days in 646 during the reign of King Bojang, the last king of Goguryeo. This strange tale was interpreted as a bad omen indicating the impending downfall of the kingdom.

Later kingdoms such as Balhae and Goryeo inherited the legacy of Goguryeo, and modern descendants of Jumong still bear his last name Go.