Gyerim Forest

Between Cheomseongdae Observatory and Wolseong Palace Site lies a small grove of willows and zelkovas called Gyerim (鷄林), the "Rooster Forest". This is where, according to legend, Kim Al-ji, founder of the Gyeongju Kim clan, was found in a golden chest, and the name of the grove later came to stand for the whole Silla kingdom. If you walk between Gyeongju's central sights you will pass through it anyway, so it pays to know the story.

The rooster and the golden chest

The legend says that in the reign of King Talhae the king heard a rooster crowing in the forest west of the capital and sent someone to look. Hanging from a branch was a small golden chest, with a white rooster crowing beneath it. Inside was a baby boy. The king named him Al-ji and gave him the surname Kim (金, "gold"), because he came out of a golden box. The grove, until then called Sirim (始林), became Gyerim, the Rooster Forest.

The records disagree on the details. The Samguk Sagi dates the event to AD 65, the Samguk Yusa to AD 60, and they differ on whether the king or his minister Hogong found the chest. Al-ji became crown prince, yet the throne passed to King Pasa of the Park clan; his seventh-generation descendant King Michu became the first Kim king. From King Naemul onwards the Kim line ruled until the end of Silla, which is why Gyerim has long been seen as the birthplace of the royal house.

The story stayed popular in the Joseon period. In 1656 the painter Jo Sok painted Geumgwedo, showing the golden chest hanging in the trees with the white rooster beneath it. Standing under the old trees today, it is easy to picture the scene.

From forest name to country name

"Gyerim" grew beyond the grove and became another name for Silla. In 663 the Tang dynasty set up a "Gyerim Area Command" over Silla territory, and the Silla scholar Kim Dae-mun called his collection of Silla tales Gyerim Japjeon. A 12th-century Chinese glossary of the Goryeo language was titled Gyerim Yusa. For centuries, the name of this small wood stood for the Korean peninsula.

Scholars have offered other explanations for the name. Some link "gye" (rooster) to old Korean words for "moon" or "bird" and connect it with Silla place names such as Wolseong ("Moon Fortress") and Seorabeol. In that reading, the legendary "Rooster Forest" may preserve an ancient native name for the Silla capital itself.

What to see in the grove

• Monument to Kim Al-ji's birth: inside a stone wall and pavilion deeper in the grove stands a stele erected in 1803, in the reign of King Sunjo, recording the legend.
• Old trees: ancient willows and zelkovas with twisted trunks form a dense canopy, and a small stream curves from the north to the west side of the wood.
• A walk between sites: the path from Daereungwon Tomb Complex through Gyerim to Wolseong runs right through the grove.
• Next to the palace: Wolseong, site of the Silla royal palace, begins just south-east of the grove. Walking from one to the other shows how close the "forest west of the capital" in the records really was to the king's residence.

Gyerim was designated a Historic Site in 1963 and, together with Cheomseongdae and Wolseong, belongs to the Gyeongju Historic Areas UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: open all year round, free of charge. The grove itself takes 20–30 minutes.
• Walk it with: Cheomseongdae is just to the north, Wolseong to the south-east, and Gyochon Traditional Village a short walk further south. Gyeongju National Museum is also within walking distance. Daereungwon → Cheomseongdae → Gyerim → Wolseong → Gyochon makes a good half-day walk.
• Seasons: in spring yellow rapeseed flowers line the path; in autumn the maples at the edge of the grove turn red. After dark the trees are lit, which gives the grove a very different feel.
• Getting there: the Gyeongju Intercity Bus Terminal is about 1.6 km away in a straight line, an easy walk. Drivers can use the public car parks around Cheomseongdae; inside the grove you can only walk.