<서동요> 배경설화의 구성방식 연구

A Study on the Way of Composition in Seodongyo Folklore

According to the account of Seodong in Samgugyusa, King Mu wrote “Seodongyo,” married princess Seonwha of Silla and built Mireuksa Temple at the request of Seonwha. However, the difference can be understood upon more detailed analysis of Samgugyusa. As already mentioned, the records dealing with King Mu consist of the legend of Seodong and the legend of Mireuksas's construction, the former based on legend and the latter based on fact. that is, the legend naturally continues onto the factual story of the temple. In general, most legends about the construction of any particular temple serve to clothe the temple in divine grace to lead the people to Buddhism. Therefore, the part in the legend that deals with the selection of the temple site is usually described in association with a strange, divine incident. This is the case with the story of a Maitreya triad appearing in the middle of a pond before King Mu and his queen, thus leading to the construction of Mireuksa on that site. In conclusion, it can be said that the legend of Seodong is a folk tale handed down among the people while the legend of Mireuksa's construction by King Mu is based on historical fact. Though the two tales were separated to begin with, the love story was incorporated into the story of Mireuksa as a way to enrich the legend of its construction.