This paper presents the possibility that the first performance of Silla’s ancestor ritual at the royal shrine of the founder of Silla (始祖廟) may not have been for Hyeokkeose (赫居世, founding king of Silla). The founding myth of Silla claims Hyeokkeose as the founder, but his wife Aryeong, who is referred to as the founding queen of Silla, is just as important as Hyeokkeose. Aryeong is a symbol representing Silla in that the name “Silla” originated from Aryeong. In particular, the fact that a female named Aro (阿老, sister of King Namhae) led the ritual at the royal shrine of the Silla founder indicates the possibility that ancestor rituals at the royal shrine of the founder of Silla were performed for Aryeong.
Furthermore, the royal tomb of the Silla founder, which is also known as the “Five Royal Tombs” (五陵) and the “Tomb of the Snake” (蛇陵), is related to Aryeong: Aryeong’s Well mentioned in the myth of Aryeong's birth is located within the compound of the Five Royal Tombs; also related to Aryeong are the name “Tomb of the Snake” and its origin. In Silla, the Five Royal Tombs are perceived as the royal tomb of the Silla founder. And if the royal shrine of the Silla founder is understood to be the grave where the founder of the Silla dynasty is buried, then the only conclusion that can be drawn is would be that the body buried inside the royal shrine of the Silla founder is that of Aryeong who is related to the Five Royal Tombs in various ways.
An important state ritual during the isageum era was the ancestor ritual at the royal shrine of the founder of Silla, with Aryeong as the founder of Silla. But a transformation occurred in the ancestor ritual at the royal shrine of the Silla founder after the Kim clan succeeded to the throne and made the succession hereditary. Silla kings from the Kim clan, including Michu isageum who is the first Silla king from the Kim clan, continued to perform the ancestor ritual at the royal shrine of the Silla founder, but these kings were conscious of the fact that they did not come from the lineage of the “founder of the kingdom of Silla.” Moreover, there were limitations in controlling the entire kingdom through an ancestor ritual system that was in the form of ancestor ritual at the royal shrine of the Silla founder prior to Silla’s development into an ancient state. In this transformation process, the “shrine of god” (神宮) became the object of faith throughout the kingdom.