Heo Hwang-ok

Heo Hwangok
Tomb of Heo Hwang-ok in Gimhae
Born	Ajutuo
Other names	Hurh Hwangok, Huh Hwang-ok
Korean name
Hangul	허황옥
Hanja	許黃玉
Revised Romanization	Heo Hwang-ok
McCune–Reischauer	Hŏ Hwang'ok

Heo Hwang-ok is a legendary queen mentioned in Samguk Yusa, a 13th-century Korean chronicle. She was the wife of King Suro of Geumgwan Gaya. The legend states that she arrived on a boat from a distant kingdom, and married the king in the year 48 CE. She was the first queen of Geumgwan Gaya, and is considered the first queen of Gaya Kingdom.

The legend of Heo is found in Garakgukgi (the Record of Garak Kingdom) which is currently lost, but referenced within the Samguk Yusa. According to the legend, Heo was a princess of the Ayuta kingdom. The extant records do not identify Ayuta except as a distant country. Some identify it with Ayodhya in India, but there are no records of this legend in the Indian history. Moreover, the Indian city was known as Saketa, not Ayodhya, in the ancient period. Grafton K. Mintz and Ha Tae-Hung implied that the Korean reference was actually to the Thailand's Ayuhatta. However, according to George Cœdès, the Thai city was not founded until 1350 CE, after the composition of Samguk Yusa.

After their marriage, Heo told Suro that she was 16 years old. She stated her first name as "Hwang-ok" ("Yellow Jade") and her last name as "Heo" (or "Hurh"). She described how she landed up in Gaya as follows: The Heavenly Lord (Sange Je) appeared in her parents's dreams. He told them to send Heo to Suro, who had been chosen as the king of Gaya. The dream showed that the king had not yet found a queen. Heo's father then told her to go to Suro. After two months of a sea journey, she found Beondo, a peach which fruited only every 3000 years.

According to the legend, the courtiers of King Suro had requested him to select a wife from among the maidens they would bring to the court. However, Suro stated that his selection of a wife will be commanded by the Heavens. He commanded Yuch'ŏn-gan to take a horse and a boat to Mangsan-do, an island to the south of the capital. At Mangsan, Yuch'ŏn saw a vessel with a red sail and a red flag. He sailed to the vessel, and escorted it to the shores of Kaya (or Gaya, present-day Kimhae/Gimhae). Another officer, Sin'gwigan went to the palace, and informed the King of the vessel's arrival. The King sent nine clan chiefs, asking them to escort the ship's passengers to the royal palace.