Extraordinary, Power, Chaos, and Spirits: Taxonomy of Mysteries in Samguk sagi 三國史記

This article seeks to redefine the Kim Pusik’s 金富軾 (1075-1151) Samguk sagi 三國史記 (Histories of the Three Kingdoms) as a more imaginative and literary text by foregrounding its “supernatural” elements (collectively referred to as “wonder tales”), rather than emphasizing the ‘Confucian’ orientation that has conventionally been prescribed to it. It reviews the extend of incorporation of “wonder tales” into the historiographical content of Samguk sagi and outlines the connections between their literary essence and structural functions. The references to extraordinary are typified and distributed by six groups whose attributes are both contextual and functional: the subject matter itself (what is told, in which circumstances the matter is referred to) and assumed level of its compliance with the norms of Confucian historiographical accountability (trustworthiness). These references are analyzed contextually with illustrative references to the Chinese ‘normative histories’ principles. Then the political and structural functions of mystical motifs in the Histories of the Three Kingdoms are deducted and explained. Finally tentative conclusions are offered on the principles of choice of “wonder stories” for the historical narration in the Samguk sagi and their functions as ‘special historiographical elements’ are discussed.