A long time ago, a tribe that respected the tiger and controlled fire called the Ho-jok, ruled the world. They eliminated and assimilated all tribes except the tribe that respected the bear, called the Ung-jok. The Tiger Tribe and the Bear Tribe fought, and Hwan-woong could not bear to see so many people getting killed. He brought the three gods of nature; Poong-Baek, Woonsa, and Woosa. He removed the power of fire from the leader of the Tiger Tribe, Kajin, sealed the power into an artifact called the Heart of Jujak, and gave it to the woman he loved; Sae-oh. However, Kajin was mortally wounded while attacking another tribe, and she seemed to die until Hwan-woong healed her. This event makes Kajin develop love for Hwan-woong. When her tribe declared in a war council they would Hwan-woong take back the power of fire, Kajin then slew her tribe's elders with her own blade. She then escapes from her own tribe in search of Hwan-woong, deciding to become Hwan-woong's woman. However, Hwan-woong likes Sae-oh and declared his love for her, not knowing that Kajin was watching them secretly when this took place. Kajin was infuriated by this and began reforming the Tiger Tribe and attacked the Bear Tribe. Unfortunately, this was the time when Sae-oh was pregnant, and when she had given birth, the baby was kidnapped by Kajin who offered Sae-oh a deal to trade her baby for the power of fire. When Sae-oh refuses Kajin, Kajin responds by dropping Sae-oh's baby from a cliff, leading to Sae-oh going out of control and releasing the Heuk-Jujak, even though Hwan-woong had saved the baby. Hwan-woong's subordinates, the White Tiger, the Azure Dragon and the Turtle Snake fought the Black Phoenix, but they were no match for it. Left with no choice, Hwan-woong used his Heavenly Bow to kill Sae-oh, the source of the power of the Black Phoenix, and managed to seal it once again in the heart of the Phoenix. Kajin committed suicide by jumping from the cliff because she now "had no reason to livein this world any more." Hwan-woong sealed the powers of the 'Four Gods' in certain artifacts and left them in the care of certain people, telling them that they will wake when the King of Jyushin is born. Many centuries later, Damdeok, the reincarnation of Hwan-woong, was born. Along with him, the artifacts of the guardians of the King were born. Damdeok met difficulties in becoming the king of Goguryeo, mainly because of Yeon Hogae who mistook Damdeok for the murderer of his mother, and his father who turned the king's parliament against him.
In Japan, the series aired on NHK beginning April 5, 2008. Two 60-minute episodes were also screened over 12 showings at 10 Japanese movie theaters, over a period of six months. However, it drew disappointing ratings given Bae Yong-joon's enormous popularity in Japan. Japanese viewers were reportedly confused by the drama's several flashbacks, and its references to Korean history. They were also disappointed by the dubbing of Bae's voice, while others had trouble relating to his character because of his established screen image from Winter Sonata. The early sales of the drama's DVD set may have likewise hurt the ratings. It received ratings of 7%, which though far from Winter Sonata's 20%, is still a respectable result given its late night time-slot. In the Philippines, it aired on the GMA Network on weekdays starting March 10, 2008. The Legend was one of the highest rated shows in its timeslot, with average ratings of over 30%. In Thailand, it aired on the Channel 3 on Saturdays and Sundays starting April 19, 2008.
Adaptations
A novelization written by Kim Chang-gyu became a bestseller, and a graphic novel version by manga artist Riyoko Ikeda was also released. The series was adapted into a musical by the Japanese Takarazuka Revue. It was staged in early 2009 by the Flower Troupe, and starred Sei Matobu and Ayane Sakurano. Following the success of the first run, Version II of the musical was staged in late June 2009 by the Star Troupe, starring Reon Yuzuki and Nene Yumesaki.
