Hwasun Pingmaebawi Dolmen


[Man]
Pingmaebawi Dolmen is located between the Gamtaebawi Dolmen site and Bogeomjae Hill. It is located on the highest ground among the dolmens distributed in Daesin-ri.

[Woman]
The world's largest Pingmaebawi Dolmen is made with a capstone weighting over 200 tons. It is a super-large capstone that is 7.3 meters long, 5 meters wide, and 4 meters thick.

[Man]
The "ping" in Pingmae means throwing away or throwing stones, and "mae" means Mago. There is an accompanying legend of Grandmother Mago. Grandmother Mago refers to the god of the earth that appears in the mythology of the genesis in Korea. The mythology of the genesis with Grandmother Mago goes as follows.

[Woman]
At the beginning of the world, the sun and the moon were hiding in the sky and the stars roamed freely, making it difficult to distinguish between day and night. Then, as a huge giant, Grandmother Mago woke up and stretched herself, and the sky cracked and the sun and the moon came out through the gap. People who saw the light rejoiced. However, the delight didn’t last long, and as Grandmother urinated, the ground was flooded in a flash. People worked hard to build banks, but to no avail. When Grandmother Mago built banks in acknowledgment of her fault, the sea was created in an instant.

[Man]
Meanwhile, Pingmaebawi also has a fable related to Grandmother Mago.

[Grandmother Mago]
"I must build the Cheonbulcheon Pagoda of Unjusa Temple before dawn. I’m in big trouble.”

[Woman]
Grandmother Mago was hurrying toward Unjusa Temple while placing stones in her apron. Then, a stone fell from the apron.

[Grandmother Mago]
“Why is the stone falling off when I'm running out of time.”

[Grandmother Mago]
“Oh, well. I’ve got to keep carrying the remaining stones.”

[Woman]
At this moment, the stone that Grandmother Mago dropped was the Pingmaebawi Rock.

[Villager 1]
“That was close!”

[Villager 2]
“There is no chance for you to marry someone this year.”

[Villager 1]
“Wait, does this even make sense? You have to throw a stone towards the hole in the Pingmaebawi Rock with your left hand and get it inside to marry someone?”

[Villager 2]
"It’s a legend handed down from generation to generation in the village. If an unmarried person throws a stone with their left hand and gets it inside the hole in the Pingmaebawi Rock drilled by Grandmother Mago, they will get married that year.”

[Villager 1]
"So I won’t be able to marry this year, either?”

[Villager 2]
"I'm sorry, but yes, what can we do about it. You will have another chance next year...”

[Villager 1]
"Next year! I will definitely get it then!!”

[Man]
The Pingmaebawi dolmen was deliberately rounded at the bottom, then propping stones, also known as supporting stones, were placed beneath it to create a certain space. The rock behind the Pingmaebawi Rock is horizontal, and the surface of the Pingmaebawi Rock is slanted. This is proof that Pingmaebawi Rock was moved from another location.

[Woman]
As the Pingmaebawi dolmen is located on a large, high ground, it is presumed to have served as a symbolic monument rather than as a tomb. There are 133 dolmens distributed in this area.