Iryeon

Iryeon, also romanized as Il-yeon, was a Korean Buddhist monk and scholar who flourished in the 13th century during the Goryeo dynasty. Details of his life are sparse, and he is primarily known for his literary and religious work.

His most famous composition is the Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms), compiled between 1281 and 1285. The work gathers legends, folktales, and historical anecdotes related to the founding and history of Korea’s Three Kingdoms—Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla—as well as early Korean Buddhism. It draws on a mixture of sources, including older chronicles, inscriptions, oral tradition, and Buddhist scriptures, and is written in Classical Chinese.

Samguk Yusa is distinguished from contemporaneous historical chronicles by its inclusion of myth and religious lore alongside historical episodes. While not always considered strictly historical by modern standards, the text preserves a wealth of material about royal lineages, legendary figures, and Buddhist practices that are not found in other sources. For this reason, it remains an essential reference for historians, folklorists, and literary scholars studying early Korean culture, religion, and national memory.

Impact and significance: Iryeon’s compilation has shaped later understandings of Korea’s distant past and its early Buddhist milieu. The Samguk Yusa has been preserved in numerous manuscript traditions and has been the subject of extensive scholarly study, translation, and interpretation, contributing to the broader appreciation of Korea’s literary and religious heritage.