– Lessons from Ta-gon’s Story from Arthdal Chronicles:
Spanning two seasons, Arthdal Chronicles is set in an ancient era in Korea, where Arthdals inhabited the land of Arth, a civilization in the making brought about by the descendants of the son of Heaven, as per mythology, which introduced the Bronze and Iron ages to that region. The story revolves around struggles of power and possessions, love and disappointments, rises and falls, of a civilization in making. However, I wish to bring in some priceless nuggets the story brings forth from its undercurrent of Human tendencies and limiting beliefs born out of Parental/family/societal conditionings. Such conditioning breeds grounds for paralysing fears and anxieties that contribute to the breaking of the Individual as well as its community.
Have I ever told you how do I land over such serieses? Whenever my spirit feels weary and silently pleads for a pause, I find myself intuitively drawn to mythical dramas over OTT or in Books—tales that mirror human pain, conditioning, and evolution – series with some priceless insights. This time it was OTT!
Arthdal Chronicles: Purple Blood, Power, and the Birth of Shame:
At the heart of the story lies Ta-gon, a mighty warrior born of two worlds—Saram (red blood) and Neanthal (purple blood). In a society that sees purple-blooded beings as cursed, his birth becomes a threat. His father, terrified of societal taboo and losing power, plants the first seeds of shame in young Ta-gon by urging him to hide his identity at any cost and kill everyone who comes to know this truth. And this is how his spirit gets contaminated with this limiting belief. His father tries to abandon and kill him on multiple occasions.
Sarams in power then, strongly despised all purple-blooded beings subjecting them to humiliation, contempt, and dejection. They were either beaten to death or converted into slaves. This is a classic example of how the greed of someone in power can pollute the hearts and spirits of their creed building a social taboo and suppression.
Young Ta-gon kills his mother, and friends who ever accidently happen to see his purple blood. Gradually, this inner scared and wounded child ends up wearing a strong defense Armour of a powerful warrior. The warrior grows, but so does the wounded boy within—abandoned, unseen, and desperate to be loved.
The result? A man wearing armor outside but bleeding within. His life which starts with a mission to earn the love and acceptance of his father converts into hatred towards him culminating in murdering his father. A wonderful example of to what extent childhood shame and fear can shape a person’s life operations.
As the story progresses, on one battlefield, while Ta- gon gets severely injured, his entire army sees him bleeding purple blood. Even when his people accept him for what he is– Tagon is in bad shape. Haunted by hallucinations of his father’s critical voice even long after his death—this is the internalized critical parent voice that many of us unknowingly carry. A wonderful episode to witness (Episode 4, Season two) the inner conditioning and critic active at work making it difficult for us to break the binding trap.
Then the other worst! Resistance! Even while his wife tries to help, all efforts are in vain! and the story continues from there on.
Ta -gon on the one side portrayed himself to be a strong and tough warrior, but deep within, he fights every single day, trying hard, to hide his original identity. Never at rest, always scared. This inner script takes over his life, eventually leading to acts of violence, betrayal, and the tragic disconnection from his true self.
What if someone had held space for young Ta-gon’s wounds? Could his story have unfolded differently?
Human Doing or Human Being:
This one is another precious nugget offered by an undercurrent of this story revealing how it mirrors our societal evolution. The Sarams, in pursuit of power and possessions, slowly lose connection with the sacred—Earth, intuition, and spirit. Meanwhile, the Neanthals live by honoring natural law, only acting when truly needed.
Unlike other beings in nature, we humans are gifted with a sacred choice:
To live as Human Doings—driven by survival, control, and ego,
or to evolve into Human Beings—rooted in love, compassion, and conscious presence.
When we get pulled into illusions of power, greed, and ignorance, we disconnect from our essence.
We lose touch with the gifts of our Beingness—kindness, unity, and heartful awareness.
But the moment we choose to rise above these lower pulls and return to love and truth,
we begin operating from the soul’s wisdom.
In Arthdal Chronicles, the Saram tribe embodies the path of Doing—power-hungry, disconnected, and externally driven.
In contrast, the Naenthals, the priestess Ta-Nya, and the social reformer Eun Seom reflect the evolved path of Being—deeply in tune with nature, inner knowing, and the higher good.
The Chronicles allow us to witness the timeless dance of light and shadow—the rise and fall of Good and Evil within a civilization.
When darkness prevails, we see exploitation, slavery, scarcity, and a broken connection with Nature . The social fabric frays, imbalances born within ecosystem, and in turn, we lose our inner calm, our sense of trust, peace, and love.
But when the righteous rise, abundance flows not just externally—but inwardly.
There is balance in society, laughter in homes, reverence for Mother Earth, and harmony in our interconnectedness.
Love and compassion return to the hearts of people, and civilizations begin to heal.
The truth is—every civilization is born from an individual.
First, the one who leads.
Then, those who follow.
Communities are nothing but mirrors of the inner world of those who shape them.
Abundance is always present.
The real question is: What shapes our beliefs? What fuels our choices? And are we willing to disrupt our inner conditioning to rewrite our life story—and ripple healing outward?
At every moment, we are offered an open invitation:
To stay trapped in survival as a Human Doing…
Or rise in consciousness as a Human Being.
The choice is ours—moment by moment.
Three Soulful Reflections to Begin Healing Your Inner Child:
Here are three gentle yet powerful points you can reflect on if you feel disconnected, reactive, or exhausted by wearing masks not meant for your soul:
1. What part of me did I learn to hide for love or approval?
Like Ta-gon hiding his purple blood, many of us bury our truth to fit into family or societal norms. Healing begins when we start accepting what we were once taught to reject.
2. Whose voice echoes in your head when you’re scared, stuck, or self-critical?
Often, the inner critic is an echo of a parent, teacher, or past authority figure. Acknowledge it. Then ask—is this voice serving my growth or limiting my freedom?
3. What mask are you wearing to feel safe or accepted—and what is it costing you?
We often become overachievers, peacemakers, or rebels just to survive emotionally. But true power lies in embracing vulnerability and returning to our original essence—the child who just wanted to be seen and loved as they are.
Healing is not about fixing yourself. It’s about remembering who you were before the world told you to forget.
As you reflect, know this: your inner child is not broken—just burdened. And through loving awareness, release, and conscious reparenting, you can shift from Human Doing into a Human Being—whole, wise, and wonderfully enough.
Did you find these nuggets insightful?
what are your important takeaways from this shared story of Ta-gon?
Do drop your comment below!
With compassion and truth,
Dr. Urvi Chauhan
Founder, Empowered You Hub
Alchemist. Healer. Conscious Parenting Advocate
Kafee with K-Drama: Healing Through Stories
