The Story of the First King’s Four Gods
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Title: 태왕사신기 / The Story of the First King’s Four Gods
Chinese title : 太王四神記
Also known as: The Legend / Tae Wang Sa Shin Gi
Genre: Period Drama
Episodes: 24
Broadcast network: MBC
Broadcast period: 2007-Sept-11 to 2007-Dec-05
Air time: Wednesdays & Thursdays 21:55 (9:55 Korean time)
Theme song: ‘A thousand years love song’ by DBSK (Dong Bang Shin Gi)
Synopsis
This drama portrays the life of the 19th king of Goguryeo. Jumong, the founder of Goguryeo, establish Goguryeo with his Four Gods: Cheong-ryong (Blue Dragon), Baek-ho (White Tiger), Joo-jak (Phoenix), Hyeon-mu (symbolized as a turtle). The Japanese may know them as Seiryuu, Byakko, Suzaku, and Genbu. Jumong marries Soseono, who had a big part in the founding of Goguryeo. They have two sons, Onjo and Biryu. When the son of Jumong’s first wife came to Goguryeo in search of his father, and is named Crown Prince, Soseono takes her sons, Onjo and Biryu, South and establishs Baekje. This is how Baekje and Goguryeo were known as “brother countries”.
As time passed, the Four Gods secluded themselves from society and watched as Baekje and Goguryeo’s relationship worsened (worsened more mainly because Goguryeo’s king was killed in a battle between Baekje and Goguryeo).
One day, Ju-ahn, “Hyeon-mu” of the Four Gods, sees two stars sour up into the sky. Since one came from the palace in Baekje, it predicted the birth of “Su”, later known as King Ah-shin. The other star came from Goguryeo, prophesizing the birth of Dam-deok, later known as Gwang Gae Toh Dae Wang.
Realizing that his new master has come to the world, Ju-ahn awaits in the vast Manchuria with a young girl, Sujini, to see which of the two will be his master. Sujini was picked up as an orphan by Ju-ahn and considers Ju-ahn as her father.
Therefore, the story is on the Four Gods looking for their master, Gwang Gae Toh Dae Wang, who was an expert in tactics, the woman he loved (Sujini), who was also loved by the coldhearted King Ah-shin.
Who was Dam-deok (Gwang Gae Toh Dae Wang)?: He was the 19th king of Goguryeo (lasted from 37 B.C. to 668 A.D.). During the time of Dam-deok, Goguryeo was the most powerful nation in East Asia (yes, even the Chinese dynasty couldn’t defeat Goguryeo). At age 11, he was made the Crown Prince and became King when he was 16. In 396, he attacked Baekje (a nation Southwest of Goguryeo) and took over the northern area above the Han River. He defeated the many invasions made by the Yeon Dynasty (China) after 400 A.D. During his reign, the number of castles he took over numbered in the hundreds and villages numbered in the thousands. However, he died at an untimely age of 39.
Cast
Bae Yong Jun as Damdeok / Hwanwoong
– Yoo Seung Ho as young Damdeok
Lee Ji Ah as Sujini / Seoh
– Shim Eun Kyung as young Sujini
Moon So Ri as Seo Ki Ha / Kajin
- Park Eun Bin as teen Ki Ha
- Kim Eun Suh as 5 year old Ki Ha
Oh Kwang Rok as Hyeonko (Sujini’s master)
- Oh Seung Yoon as young Hyeonko
Choi Min Soo as Daejangro (Hwacheon leader)
Yoon Tae Young as Yeon Ho Gae
- Kim Ho Young as young Ho Gae
Park Sang Won as Yeon Garyo (Ho Gae’s father, Goguryeo’s Prime Minister)
Park Sung Woong as Jumuchi
Lee Philip as Cheoro
- Lee Hyun Woo as young Cheoro
Park Jung Hak as General Go Woo Cheung
Jang Hang Sun as Heuk Gae (Julno chief)
Extended Cast
Kim Hyuk as Dalgu (Heuk Gae’s son)
Kim Suk as Dalgu’s friend
Park Sung Min as Saryang (Ki Ha’s guardian)
Shin Eun Jung as Dalbi (Ho Gae’s servant)
Kim Mi Kyung as Bason (blacksmith)
Min Ji Oh as Soidooroo
Baek Jae Jin as Bool Deul
Hong Kyung Yun as Dae Shin Kwan
Jung Yoon Suk as Ahjik (Kiha and Damdeok’s son)
Lee Da Hee as Gakudan (Royal guardian)
Song Kwi Hyun as Jo Joo Do
Woo Hyun as wheat seller (Hyeonko’s friend)
Kim Sun Kyung as Ho Gae’s mother
Dok Go Young Jae as King Yang (Damdeok’s father)
Lee Ah Yi
Production Credits
Producer: Kim Jong Hak
Writer: Song Ji Na, Park Kyung Soo
Director: Yoon Sang Ho
Episode Ratings
| Date | Episode | Nationwide | Seoul |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-09-11 | 1 | 20.4 (3rd) | 21.6 (3rd) |
| 2007-09-12 | 2 | 26.9 (1st) | 27.7 (1st) |
| 2007-09-13 | 3 | 26.9 (1st) | 28.3 (1st) |
| 2007-09-19 | 4 | 31.7 (1st) | 33.3 (1st) |
| 2007-09-20 | 5 | 31.5 (1st) | 33.1 (1st) |
| 2007-09-26 | 6 | 23.4 (2nd) | 25.3 (1st) |
| 2007-09-27 | 7 | 30.9 (1st) | 33.0 (1st) |
| 2007-10-10 | 8 | 25.9 (2nd) | 26.4 (2nd) |
| 2007-10-11 | 9 | 28.2 (2nd) | 29.3 (1st) |
| 2007-10-17 | 10 | 27.5 (2nd) | 28.6 (1st) |
| 2007-10-18 | 11 | 28.3 (2nd) | 29.7 (1st) |
| 2007-10-24 | 12 | 29.6 (2nd) | 30.2 (1st) |
| 2007-10-25 | 13 | 29.1 (2nd) | 30.4 (1st) |
| 2007-10-31 | 14 | 27.9 (2nd) | 29.0 (1st) |
| 2007-11-01 | 15 | 31.9 (1st) | 33.2 (1st) |
| 2007-11-07 | 16 | 30.0 (2nd) | 31.0 (1st) |
| 2007-11-08 | 17 | 30.4 (2nd) | 31.9 (1st) |
| 2007-11-14 | 18 | 30.4 (2nd) | 31.5 (1st) |
| 2007-11-15 | 19 | 31.6 (2nd) | 32.8 (1st) |
| 2007-11-21 | 20 | 30.4 (2nd) | 32.1 (1st) |
| 2007-11-22 | 21 | 32.3 (2nd) | 33.4 (1st) |
| 2007-11-28 | 22 | 31.6 (2nd) | 32.9 (1st) |
| 2007-11-29 | 23 | 33.0 (2nd) | 34.6 (1st) |
| 2007-12-05 | 24 | 35.7 (1st) | 37.0 (1st) |
| 2007-09-10 | 1st Special | 14.1 (6th) | 14.5 (6th) |
| 2007-12-06 | 2nd Special | 16.9 (2nd) | 16.0 (2nd) |
Source: TNS Media Korea
May 14th, 2012 at 11:03 pm
How are you?
May 17th, 2012 at 2:09 pm
Test, I will test
May 17th, 2012 at 2:43 pm
Hai all,,,,
I am from Indonesia. Sorry, i can’t speak English. I know little but i can unerstand your says.
I will say Indonesian, I hope you can transleted alone.
Or Ching Ni Men fanyi ce ci if you from Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore. Sorry ( Tuei Pu Chi ).
Ok, I begin :
Sekilas serial ini memang berakhir dengan “Sad Ending” tapi Endingnya punya makna.
Cuma serial ini lebih pendek dibandingkan dengan serial Jumong, jadi terasa benar dipaksakan. Kemungkinan dikarenakan cidera yg dialami oleh Bae Yong Jun membuat serial ini diperpendek serinya. Hal ini terasa sekali dalam Epsd. 23 – 24, yg cuma ceritanya dibacakan oleh Narator secara monolog.
Tetapi pengorbanan Dam Doek di Abullanssa setidaknya bukanlah pengorbanan yg sia-sia. Dengan mengorbankan dirinya bersama Kiha, setidaknya dia bisa menghancurkan kekuatan dewa yg dimiliki oleh Kiha. Jadi rakyat di negeri Goguryo and negeri-negeri lainnya tidak saling membunuh unk memperebutkan simbol kekuatan dewa yg bisa menghancurkan satu sama lainnya. Pengorbanan Dam Doek yg masuk ke dlm api bersama Kiha akan menghancurkan kekuatan & keinginan Kiha untuk membakar dunia.
Dam Doek memiliki sifat cinta kasih pada semua manusia di dunia sehingga dia diberi gelar Gwanggaeto King yaitu Raja Perdamaian, yg akhirnya kebaikan dia beritanya sampai ke Langit.
Hal ini sebenarnya sudah diceritakan dari batu tulis di Abullanssa tentang dia secara turun temurun.
Kisah cinta Dam Doek walaupun kisah cinta segitiga yaitu : Dam Doek- Kiha – Sujini tetapi dia akan direinkarnasi kembali untuk Sujini karena Sujini adalah His Last Love bukan KIHA.
Dlm hukum reinkarnasi, Sujini & Dam Doek akan direinkarnasi jadi suami – istri kembali. Hal ini tersirat dalam ucapan Dam Doek : Istana ku adalah di mana kamu berada.
Sedangkan Kiha akan direinkarnasi bersama dengan Ho Gae karena mereka telah berjanji dalam kehidupan yang akan datangnya.
Ucapan Dam Doek yg penuh pesan : Manusia harus belajar dari kesalahan atau kelalaian agar tidak terjadi kembali kesalahan di masa yang akan datang.
Maka itu dia menghancurkan kekuatan dewa dengan menggunakan busur dewa karena manusia tidak bisa tergantung pada bantuan dari Langit selamanya, asalkan kita mau menentukan mana yang terbaik buat orang banyak. Langit akan menerimanya.
Buat saya, serial ini very interesting, very good. All acting actor or actris very good. Apalagi didukung oleh kecanggihan komputer yg membuat serial ini terasa hidup. Fantasi dlm serial ini maksudnya adalah bukannya membuat cerita 4 dewa yg tidak ada jadi ada tetapi 4 dewa itu memang ada, cuma tidak sehebat seperti yang kita lihat.
Dibandingkan Winter Sonata, saya lebih suka The Legend. The Legend ini sangat menantang sekali, mewakili jiwa kesatria & semangat heroik.
Winter Sonata adalah Drama, sedangkan The Legend adalah Legenda Heroik. Terserah kita mau nonton yang mana.
Di dalam The Legend memang adegan KISS diminimaliskan krn Dam Doek bukan mengexplore kisah cinta tetapi menolong dunia (help earth) don’t his love story. Itu adalah jiwa ksatria sejati walaupun dia sempat terjebak dengan KIHA yang akhirnya memiliki anak tetapi anaknya ini dibawah didikan SUJINI akan menjadi raja selanjutnya bagi Gogoreyo.
Ok, tkx for all. See U next again. Bye,,,,,
June 28th, 2012 at 10:00 pm
hai dara… Aku juga dari indonesia dan aku penggemar byj. Aku setuju dengan pendapatmu tentang the legend memang sad ending tapi banyak nilai positif didalamnya
August 1st, 2012 at 6:29 am
Hey Dara, why did you write such a long summary, and in Indonesian no less. No one can understand it!
August 24th, 2012 at 10:03 am
I have never been captivated by a period drama but after watching this, I can now say it was worth the try! Aside from the big names on this drama (Yes! I am, a big fan of BYJ), I commend all the people behind this. You’ve done a brilliant job! Hope there will be more projects like this to come. Cheers!
August 30th, 2012 at 5:36 pm
it inspire my heart and soul,they give mea reason to write a poetry and proseliterature,,,i love to watch the scenespardonly..cause it vanished my problemsin life,so interesting
October 15th, 2012 at 2:53 am
I’m so loving damduk and sujini… I also love watching Jumong! 143 <3
November 26th, 2012 at 8:35 pm
this is an excellent melodrama production of a period piece which I wished i should have seen months ago. the graphics, computer graphics and special effects were very good, and so was the background music and musical score, though there were some ‘mishaps’ in editing, but overall it is very enjoyable to watch. the cast was very good, a very good vehicle for byj as an action star (in all honesty this is the second drama i’ve seen of him), and i liked very much the character roles of jumuchi, the female blacksmith, and the short fat general. philip lee is a good action star, i wonder why in the three dramas i’ve seen him, in his roles he does not say much. the ending was inevitable as the joo shin king had to end what was evil once and for all. i read somewhere that it took 2 years to produce this series and it was all worth the enormous budget they spent on it. my belated congratulations to the production staff. i wonder if this won an award? i have to find out if this series is based on a book, although it is a legend, might be worth reading, just want to find out how dam duk really died. i still need to watch the specials, but right now i can say this is a 10/10! cheers and enjoy it like i did!
November 27th, 2012 at 5:18 pm
just watched the specials which were the prologue and epilogue of the drama series. although i understood the story itself from watching the episodes, now i understand that the legend was actually woven around the king gwang gae to, who was considered a great king in korean history. i stand corrected: the whole production actually took more than 2 years. one character role that i liked very much (and forgot to mention) was the evil hwanchun elder. in the epilogue, the actor had to endure long hours of make up and his delivery was very good. anyway, i consider the series as the best of the korean dramas i’ve watched so far. i should be looking for more interesting work like this one. cheers!
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May 7th, 2013 at 9:10 am
Lovly drama ,got me cryin at som point, ooo n I tink am in love wit dam deok. Great job n lovely theme song!