Korean Folktales & World Folktales 87

Korean Folktale : The Snail Bride

🍂 Korean Folktale Series 7“The Snail Bride”(우렁각시 이야기 · Ureong Gaksi Iyagi)🕰️ 1. The StoryLong ago, there lived a poor young farmer who worked tirelessly from dawn until dusk, yet had no one to share his life with. One day, while plowing his field, he discovered a large, beautiful snail shell shimmering under the sun. Out of curiosity and kindness, he brought it home and carefully placed it in ..

Korean Folktale : The Honest Woodcutter

🍂 Korean Folktale Series 6“The Honest Woodcutter”(금도끼 은도끼 · Geumdokki Eundokki)🕰️ 1. The StoryOnce upon a time, a poor but honest woodcutter lived near a deep forest. One day, while chopping wood by a pond, his only axe accidentally slipped from his hands and sank into the water. Knowing his survival depended on that tool, the man sat down in deep despair. Moved by the man’s sincerity, the Mou..

Korean Folktale : Heungbu and Nolbu

🍂 Korean Folktale Series 5“Heungbu and Nolbu”(흥부와 놀부 · Heungbu wa Nolbu)🕰️ 1. The StoryLong ago, there were two brothers with very different hearts. Heungbu, the younger, was poor but kind, while Nolbu, the elder, was wealthy but greedy and cruel. One spring, Heungbu found a swallow with a broken leg. Out of compassion, he carefully tended to the bird until it healed. In gratitude, the swallow..

Korean Folktale : The Mischievous Goblin

🍂 Korean Folktale Series 4“The Mischievous Goblin”(도깨비 · Dokkaebi)🕰️ 1. The StoryIn Korean folklore, Dokkaebi are not ordinary ghosts or demons but unique, goblin-like beings. They are said to arise from inanimate objects that have absorbed spiritual energy, such as an old broom, a worn-out pot, or even a farmer’s plow. Dokkaebi are best known for their mischievous tricks. They often appear at..

Korean Folktale : The Woodcutter and the Heavenly Maiden

🍂 Korean Folktale Series 3“The Woodcutter and the Heavenly Maiden”(선녀와 나무꾼 · Seonnyeo wa Namukkun)🕰️ 1. The StoryLong ago, a poor woodcutter lived a humble life in the mountains. One day, he came across a group of heavenly maidens bathing in a hidden pond. With the help of a magical deer, he learned that if he hid one maiden’s feathered robe, she would not be able to return to the heavens. The..

Korean Folktale : Baridegi the Abandoned Princess

🍂 Korean Folktale Series 2“Baridegi, the Abandoned Princess”(바리데기 · Baridegi)🕰️ 1. The StoryLong ago, a king and queen had six daughters but longed desperately for a son. When their seventh child was born and turned out to be another girl, the distraught parents abandoned her, giving her the name Baridegi, meaning “the Abandoned One.”Despite her tragic start, Baridegi grew up strong and kind. ..

Korean Folktale : The Tale of Sim Cheong

🍂 Korean Folktale Series 1“The Tale of Sim Cheong”(심청전 · Sim Cheong-jeon)🕰️ 1. The StoryOnce upon a time in Korea, there lived a poor blind man named Sim Hak-gyu and his devoted daughter, Sim Cheong. Despite their poverty, Sim Cheong loved her father deeply and devoted herself to caring for him. One day, Sim Hak-gyu expressed his wish to regain his sight. A Buddhist monk told him that if he of..