Stone Animal Figurine, the Guardian of the Royal Tomb of King Muryeong

[Narration]
Captain! Hello!

[Excavation Team Leader]
Hello! How’s it going?

[Narration]
We’d like to learn about the jinmyosu. Why was it buried in King Muryeong’s tomb?

[Excavation Team Leader]
The jinmyosu is a stone animal figurine that embodies an imaginary animal. It was placed here to protect the tomb from invaders and evil spirits. Also, the stone animal figurine was believed to act as a guide for the king and queen, escorting them safely to the next world, in a role similar to that of Hermes in Greek Mythology.

The figurine has a horn on its head and four winged legs. It also has another interesting feature. Look carefully at the right hind leg of the animal. Can you see that it is cracked? When the tomb was excavated, the leg was found broken. Surprisingly, stone animal figurines with similarly broken legs have also been found in Chinese tombs from a similar period. After examining the Chinese figurines, people assumed that this figurine might have been deliberately damaged. But why? We still don’t know for sure, but it seems that it may have been to prevent the animal from leaving the tomb. They were required to stay and protect the king forever.

[Narration]
That’s brilliant. Maybe the Royal Tomb of King Muryeong remained safe for over 1,400 years due to the guardianship of this stone animal figurine. Shall we now look at the next artifact, a pair of gilt bronze shoes?