Arthdal Chronicles – Main Character Synopsis. - Wander.Thoughts

Just started this Kdrama, watched ep 1 & 2, and love it. I love kdramas in general for entertainment, but I do agree that many times the plots are predictable and you’re watching mainly for eye candy, fashion inspo (where does Park MinYoung get her awesome working woman wardrobe from both WWWSK and HPL??), or just brainless entertainment.

In comes Arthdal Chronicles, which has got to be one of the most hyped Kdramas of 2019. Set in the Pre-Gojoseon era, it is a fantasy genre drama with a huge budget, courtesy of its collab with Netflix. Production is TVN, a cable network that has been known to put out some very quality serial works IE. the Reply series, the Let’s Eat series, Goblin, Misaeng, Signal etc. They’ve also managed to snag lots of high-profile actor attached project, IE. Memories of Alhambra, Korean Odyssey, Mr. Sunshine, etc. Arthdal Chronicles is helmed by a capable director and two hit-producing writers. I won’t go into more detail as this info can be found on many other blogs. If you’ve managed to land here, you’ve probably already read all about it.

Seems like Arthdal is already being re-capped by Dramabeans, so I won’t rehash whats already said. I love dramabeans’ recaps so I would direct everyone there to check out their excellent work. I loved the first 2 episodes and will be following this drama closely. There were a lot of discussion online about the different characters, and as many non-Korean watchers are likely following this drama from Netflix, I think many have no been privy to the character synopsis provided on the TVN drama website. After watching Ep 1 and 2, and then also the pre-series episode 0, I was hooked so spent some time digging for more possible spoilers. I realized that these character synopsis are really insightful and hints to spoilers, so I will be including below translations of the character synopsis from the TVN website, as these are much more descriptive than any of the Netflix provided or Wiki character synopsis that I’ve seen.

Tagon (Jang Dong Gun) The first son of San-woong, leader of the Arthdal Union. Blessed with both intelligence and physicality, he’s a genius strategist and warrior; the head of the Daekan troops. A hero who triumphed over the Neanthals in the Great War through his war strategy. After the Great War, San-woong declared the Great Hunt, and ordered the genocide of the Neanthal. Tagon was in the front lines of the Great Hunt, proving his ability. Under leadership of Tagon, the Daekan troops not only enforced the Great Hunt, but also pacified rebelling tribes that attempted to riot against the Arthdal Union. Tagon’s reputation in Arthdal continued to rise.

As Tagon became a hero for all Arthdal tribes, one person watched with wary eyes– his own father, San-woong. Although he was initially pleased with Tagon’s cunning strategies, as Tagon’s eminence rose, San-woong became uneasy. Overcome by power-lust, San-woong tries to take down Tagon by trapping him. This incites a war between father and son, and Tagon leaps over the mountain of his father, and takes control of Arthdal… Tagon finally becomes the Hero of Arthdal. But from the land of barbarians, Iark, another hero is coming. Tagon’s encounter with Eun-som is not far away.

Eunsom (Song Joong Ki) Son of Asa Hon and Neanthal Ragaz. A member of the Wahan tribe of Iark, a foreigner to Arthdal. Tagon’s most powerful enemy, in the days to come.

The offspring of an alien relationship(*1) not accepted in Arthdal.  Eunsom is a mixed race of the Saram (human race) and the Neanthals, an Igutu born during the Great War. An old Arthdal prophesy says that a child born on the day when the blue comet appears will bring calamity. And so it is, on the day Eunsom was born, a bright blue streak lit across the sky. Eunsom’s mother, Asa Hon, willing to do anything to keep Eunsom alive, escapes Arthdal and heads to Iark. But Asa Hon meets her death in the voyage to Iark.

Young Eunsom was raised in the Wahan tribe of Iark. The Wahan got used to Eunsom’s dissimilar purple lips, and the scars on his torso, but Eunsom was more unique than just his appearance. He can copy any maneuver after seeing it just once, no matter how complicated. Thus, he was teaching Tanya the intricate dance of the Great Spiritual Mother, that she was supposed to be mastering. In addition, Eunsom was a better hunter than his peers, as he is extraordinarily strong and fast,  Although not comparable to the Neanthal, an average man cannot keep up with an Igutu’s strength and speed. Eunsom’s abilities were strange to the Wahan.

Despite being raised in Wahan, Eunsom was still an outsider. His only confidant was Tanya, a Wahan girl of his same-age who he grew up with. To Eunsom, Tanya is his family who has been there for him since he was young. Tanya is a thoughtful girl who always took care of the lonely Eunsom. Eunsom loved Tanya for this.

Ultimately, Eunsom’s outstanding abilities and personality created a big problem, and Eunsom is on the verge of banishment from Wahan. At the same time of Eunsom’s crisis, a danger also approaches the land of Iark. Following the orders of San-woong, the leader of the Arthdal Union, who wants to conquer Iark, Tagon and the Daekan troops descend the Great Black Cliff. The Wahan tribe were trounced. And thus, Tanya and the Wahan are taken to Arthdal. To save them, Eunsom heads to Arthdal, the root of his secret!

*1: “異種” is used to describe the relationship between SARAM humans and Neanthal, direct translation is more like a “mutated,” “twisted,” “different”) 

Tanya (Kim Ji won) Daughter of Yeolson, the anointed successor of the next Great Spiritual Mother of the Wahan. The prophesied child of the blue comet. On the day that Tanya was born, her mother passed away before being able to meet her beloved daughter. Tanya was born on the same day as Eunsom, the day the blue comet crossed the sky. But, the Wahan prophesy of the blue comet differed from that of the Arthdal–

“The one who will break the shell will arrive on the day of the blue comet, accompanied by death. Wahan will ceased to be Wahan.”

Tanya is a clever, bright Wahan girl, destined to be the next Great Spiritual Mother. In Iark, a land where the bow and arrow has not even been invented, she uses a sling as her hunting tool. She is a warrior capable of taking an adult’s life.

The SARAM race cannot dream, but priestesses(*2) must be able to dream to qualify as a spiritual mother. In order to have dreams, Tanya is burdened with training and practice, but she has yet to meet a dream. Moreover, she has not been able to master the spiritual dance of generations of spiritual mothers. As Tanya becomes more frustrated and pressured, one day, Eunsom secretly watches and learns the spiritual dance, and teaches Tanya. She finds out that Eunsom has dreams, and at first, Tanya is suspicious. At the same time, she feels jealous. But without knowing, she begins to have feelings for Eunsom.

The days were peaceful, until the Arthdal Daekan troops arrived in the Wahan Village. Tanya ends up being captured with the Wahan people, and taken to the faraway Arthdal land. Bit by bit, she feels her destiny and her anointed mission as the child of the blue comet approach her, along with the truth of the Wahan Tribe.

(*2) – “무녀” – direct translation is more like a witch, a woman who can use the magic, but I avoided using this translation because this doesn’t really fit how it’s used in the context of the Wahan tribe, as the Great spiritual Mother thus far appears less like a “witch”, but a “spiritual vector”. The connection between the Spiritual/Godly/Nature. There’s nothing so far in the series that indicates that the Great Spiritual Mother is capable of “magic,” IE. spells and such. 

Taealha (Kim Ok Bin) Daughter of the Hae Tribe Chief, Mihol. A scientist, warrior, and ambitious politician.

The Hae people are foreigners to Arthdal who arrived from far far away, crossing the oceans. It has not been long since the Hae settled in Arthdal. The Hae chief, Mihol, used the exceptional technology of the Hae as a means to survive in Arthdal. As Mihol’s daughter, Taealha realized at a young age, that if you do not become strong, you die. If you can not be a strong person, you must stand on the side of a strong person. Correct judgment about who is strong is the only thing that matters. This was carved deep into her heart. Descendants of the Hae are raised to be experts in various fields of science, and Taealha is no exception. But her interest is in power, not science. Rather than mastering the science, she would rather control the scientists. She believed that the one who could influence the people to lead the direction of history would be the person at the apex of power.

With insight and analytical power that’s comparable to her father, Taealha predicts early on that Arthdal is on the verge of change. Although she did not experience it, she knows from history. The explosive growth of Agdal’s agriculture and production will ultimately lead to the birth of a nation. Believing that nations are born in the midst of clashing storms and desires, Taealha finds Tagon. “This man! I must control this man!”

And so, Tagon becomes the Hero of Arthdal. Everything seemed to follow Taealha’s desires and plans. She enjoys great power as Tagon’s political comrade. Taealha had no fears, Arthdal was as good as hers. However, a strong rival appears from an unexpected place…

As the post has become long, I will be posting the other character synopsis in following posts. They are categorized in the various Arthdal tribes, the Iark (Wahan tribe), and then the Neanthals.

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