■ The history of NamelessThe following is not a historical background, but a fictional plot from the SFD writers’ pervious historical drama “Queen Seondeok (2009 MBC)”.As I said before, Queen Seondeok, Tree with Deep Roots, Six flying dragons share the same dramatic universe.
The secret organization called Moomyung (무명 無名 “Nameless”) came from Silla kingdom’s intelligence agency Saryangbu (사량부 沙梁部) established by Lord Bidam and Yeomjong during Queen Seondeok’s reign (632~647). Therefore, it has a history of 760 years at this moment in the drama. (632~1390)
* Bidam and Yeomjong in Queen Seondeok (2009 MBC)
Lord Bidam (비담 毗曇) was the leader of Hwarang warriors calledMoomyung Jido (무명지도 無名之徒) which means “the nameless warriors”. He absorbed the private organization of a wealthy merchant Yeomjong (염종 廉宗) and reestablished it as the national intelligence agency of Silla in 632. It had collected various information not only from the rest 2 kingdoms in the Korean peninsula but also from Japan and China. However, Bidam and Yeomjong revolted against the queen and died in 647.
Their intelligence agency didn’t disappear and had been in existence for about 760 years. Their purpose is to manage the nation’s stability. They don’t care about whether the nation is Silla, Goryeo, or Joseon. Their priority is to lessen the political upheavals and maintain the stable condition. For that greater purpose, they can ignore common people’s sufferings. Therefore, they are embarrassed at the appearance of the radical revolutionist Jung Do-Jeon right now.
As I imagined before, they have deep connection with Buddhism. Nameless was afraid that the new Confucian nation won’t have Wangsa (왕사 王師, King’s master) system. It was a unique system for Buddhist nations like Silla and Goryeo to look up to a renowned Buddhist monk with respect as the King’s teacher. If Joseon doesn’t have that system, it means the political intervention of Buddhist monks will be impossible in the future, and it will be a great damage to them.
Nameless seems to raise some war orphans as their next leader candidates. The final winner is called Mugeuk (무극 無極) which means “endlessness” or “entering into Nirvana”. Both Cho-Young and Yeon-Hyang were the candidates, and Yeon-Hyang became the Mugeuk a.k.a ‘that person’ in the end.
However, after Princess Noguk died, Yeon-Hyang chose to marry a peasant and left Nameless for a while. She is needed to unify the divided organization, so Master Yooksan fabricated that her children were killed by their opposition party within the Nameless. Gil Seon-Mi was sent to find her children, but the kids had already left for the capital in search of their missing mother. Instead, he brought burnt bodies of other children and lied to her. She has believed that her children were already killed long time ago. However, Bang-Won’s question made her realize the truth.