Cheoyongnang and Manghaesa處容郞望海寺

In the time of the forty-ninth king, Great King Heongang (憲康大王), from the capital to the sea the houses stood in rows with their walls touching, and there was not a single thatched roof. On the roads the sound of pipes and singing never ceased, and wind and rain came in due season through the four seasons.

Then the great king went out to Gaeunpo (開雲浦)〔It lies southwest of Hakseong, in what is now Ulju.〕 and was about to return. While he rested by the shore at midday, clouds and fog suddenly closed in and he lost the road.

He thought it strange and asked those around him. The court astrologer (日官) reported, "This is the work of the dragon of the East Sea. You should do a good deed to undo it."

So he ordered the officials in charge (有司) to build a temple for the dragon nearby. As soon as the order went out, the clouds cleared and the fog scattered. For this reason the place was named Gaeunpo.

The dragon of the East Sea was glad. He led his seven sons and appeared before the king's carriage, praised the king's virtue, and offered dances and music. One of the sons followed the carriage into the capital and helped the king in governing. His name was Cheoyong (處容).

The king gave him a beautiful woman as his wife, hoping to hold his heart, and also granted him the rank of geupgan (級干).

His wife was very beautiful. The plague spirit (疫神) desired her, changed into a man, came to the house at night, and secretly slept with her. Cheoyong came home from outside, saw two people in the bed, and sang a song and danced as he withdrew. The song goes:

⟪Hyangga⟫

東京明期月良 夜入伊逰行如可 入良沙寢矣見昆 脚烏伊四是良羅 二肹隠吾下扵叱古 二肹隠誰支下焉古 本矣吾下是如馬扵隠 奪叱良乙何如為理古

Then the plague spirit showed its form, knelt before him, and said, "I desired your wife, and now I have violated her. Yet you show no anger. I am moved and think it admirable. I swear that from now on, if I so much as see a picture of your face, I will not enter that gate."

Because of this the people of the country pasted Cheoyong's image on their gates to drive away evil and welcome good fortune.

After the king returned, he chose a fine site on the eastern slope of Yeongchwisan (靈鷲山) and founded a temple there, calling it Manghaesa (望海寺). It is also called Sinbangsa (新房寺). It was founded for the dragon.

Again, when the king went to Poseokjeong (鮑石亭), the spirit of Namsan (南山神) appeared before him and danced. Those around him could not see it. Only the king saw it. Since someone appeared and danced before him, the king himself danced to show what it looked like.

The spirit's name is sometimes given as Sangsim (祥審), so to this day the people of the country hand down this dance as Eomu sangsim (御舞祥審) or Eomu sansin (御舞山神). Some say this: when the spirit came out and danced, the king studied its form closely and had a craftsman carve it to show to later ages, and so it is called Sangsim (象審). Some call it the Sangyeom dance (霜髯舞), and this names it by its appearance.

Again, when the king went to Geumgangnyeong (金剛嶺), the spirit of the northern peak (北岳神) offered a dance called Okdogeom (玉刀鈐). And at a feast in Dongnyejeon (同禮殿), the spirit of the earth (地神) came out and danced, and that was called Jibaek geupgan (地伯級干).

The Eobeopjip (語法集) says, "At that time the mountain spirit offered a dance and sang, 'Jiri dadopa dopa (智理多都波都波).'" This means that those who governed the country with wisdom knew in advance and many fled, and the capital would soon be broken.

So the earth spirit and the mountain spirit knew the country would fall and danced to warn it. But the people of the country did not understand. They said a good omen had appeared and sank deeper into pleasure, and so the country fell in the end.