Analyzed in this article, are the "female titles" that appeared in the Korean ancient periods, in order to examine the changes in their roles and their statuses. In Shilla, the female titles displayed a development that continued through three different stages.
In the first period, the title of "Bu"in/夫人(Madame)" was not yet employed, and the "ar"-type titles were used instead. The "Bu"in" titles did appear in historical records describing this time period, but in fact they were never actually used back then, and were only added to the texts in subsequent periods. The "ar"-type titles were honorific titles and were only used in cases of referring to persons in specific roles and special positions, in other words a limited group of people, such as the mothers of the king, wives of the king, sisters of the king, and daughters of the king, who all assumed the role of a high priest. Females in the Royal family were considered as divine figures, and seem to have had a specific religious role and a status that accompanied it.
Then in the 2nd period, which is also called as the "Nisa"geum period," Chinese-type female titles began to appear, and female titles became more fixed and officialized. Also, records of the titles of the royal family"s female members tended to reveal their last names and the names of their fathers. Through such titles they were presented as figures who came from heritages different from the king"s, in terms of their paternal lineages. In the meantime, during this period the previous "Bu"in" title became an honorific title for the "married females" in general. And while the females from the first period had been considered divine and were essentially "worshipped" figures, the females of the 2nd period were presented more prominently with their roles as high priests. The titles for the mothers and wives of the king were officialized as "Nae"rye Bu"in."
And in the final and third period, which we now call the "Ma"rib-gan period," titles other than the "Bu"in" title, such as "Guk"dae Bu"in," "Mi"hae-gong Bu"in," and "Gung"ju," began to appear. We can see two things from such newly appeared diversity in titles. The "Bu"in" titles were provided to not only the direct female descendants of the royal family, but also to more ordinary figures, and the "Bu"in" titles were used according to the rank of the male married to the female in question. This means that the "Bu"in" title came to signify the females" new statuses placed inside a well organized hierarchy structure. Also, nearing the end of the Ma"rib-gan period, a new title "Gung"ju," which was rather a title based upon one"s "economic" background and had nothing to do with the fact that one was married or not, was used to refer to the females. This seems to have been triggered by the adoption of the Chinese culture, which proceeded through Goguryeo during the Ma"rib-gan period. The "ar"-type titles no longer appeared, after the appearances of Nulji Ma"rib-gan"s mother "Nae"rye Bu"in" and his wife "A"ryu Bu"in." Later, Nae"rye Bu"in"s nature as a high priest significantly weakened, and only the function as a domestic(palace) manager of ritual rights("內禮[Internal ritual protocols]") seems to have remained.