Princess Pyeonggang

Princess Pyeonggang (died 595) was a Goguryeo Princess as the daughter of King Pyeongwon and sister to King Yeongyang. As told in popular folktales (versions of which exist in many different regions) she married a commoner, On Dal.

According to legend, when Pyeonggang was a little girl and wouldn't stop crying, her father, King Pyeongwan, would jokingly threaten to marry her to On Dal, a beggar boy of low class known as a fool. When Pyeonggang was 16, her father wanted her to marry a son of the noble Go family. Pyeonggang refused, and insisted that she should be married to On Dal - because, she said, her father must keep his word, even to someone with extremely low status like On Dal. They were extremely happy together, and Pyeonggang used her gold to help the family, and taught her husband many useful skills, such as how to select a horse. Eventually, with Pyeonggang's help, On Dal became a renowned general.