Samshin - goddess of birth
Once upon a time in the Korean peninsula, there wasn’t anyone in the human world
to look after the affairs of giving birth and raising children. So the god of high heaven summoned
a young unmarried woman who was known to be dutiful to her parents and family,
saw that she was a bright young woman and appointed her the goddess of birth - Sam(birth)shin(god).
to look after the affairs of giving birth and raising children. So the god of high heaven summoned
a young unmarried woman who was known to be dutiful to her parents and family,
saw that she was a bright young woman and appointed her the goddess of birth - Sam(birth)shin(god).
Descending to the human world, Samshin met a young woman weeping under a willow tree.
She said she was an exiled daughter of the Dragon King of the East Sea
and had come to the human world to become the goddess of birth.
But because she never had a chance to learn how babies are born,
she was just after letting a woman in labour die.
“But I am the goddess of birth appointed by the high god of heaven,” Samshin said.
Unable to accept this, the daughter of the Dragon King grabbed Samshin’s hair and hit her very hard!
She said she was an exiled daughter of the Dragon King of the East Sea
and had come to the human world to become the goddess of birth.
But because she never had a chance to learn how babies are born,
she was just after letting a woman in labour die.
“But I am the goddess of birth appointed by the high god of heaven,” Samshin said.
Unable to accept this, the daughter of the Dragon King grabbed Samshin’s hair and hit her very hard!
“Let’s ask the god of heaven to make the judgment,” Samshin suggested.
The god gave them each a seed to sow in a desert in the Western Land.
The daughter of the Dragon King managed to grow a plant that had one root, one stalk and one leaf.
But from the seed that Samshin looked after grew a plant with 45600 branches and 33 flowers on each branch.
The angry daughter of the Dragon King pledged to give babies nasty diseases,
and this is why people made offerings to her after the babies were born.
The god gave them each a seed to sow in a desert in the Western Land.
The daughter of the Dragon King managed to grow a plant that had one root, one stalk and one leaf.
But from the seed that Samshin looked after grew a plant with 45600 branches and 33 flowers on each branch.
The angry daughter of the Dragon King pledged to give babies nasty diseases,
and this is why people made offerings to her after the babies were born.
Once again, Samshin was appointed the goddess of birth.
She built a huge mansion with a beautiful garden within secure walls,
and the babies were sent from here to their mothers’ wombs holding a flower from Samshin’s garden.
When the babies are being born, Samshin sits in the delivery room
with the women in labour and loosens their bones.
She also looks after children and keeps them healthy until they are 15 years old.
She built a huge mansion with a beautiful garden within secure walls,
and the babies were sent from here to their mothers’ wombs holding a flower from Samshin’s garden.
When the babies are being born, Samshin sits in the delivery room
with the women in labour and loosens their bones.
She also looks after children and keeps them healthy until they are 15 years old.
Ung-nyo: Bear Woman
Hwan-ung was a son of god.
Since he always longed to live with humans, god permitted him to rule and benefit the world.
So Hwan-ung descended onto the Korean peninsula with 3000 subordinates
including ministers of wind, rain and cloud,
and looked after human affairs.
Since he always longed to live with humans, god permitted him to rule and benefit the world.
So Hwan-ung descended onto the Korean peninsula with 3000 subordinates
including ministers of wind, rain and cloud,
and looked after human affairs.
A bear and a tiger were living in a cave and both prayed to Hwan-ung that they become humans.
Hwan-ung promised their wish would be granted if they stayed in the cave out of sunlight for 100 days
eating only the sacred mugwort and garlic he gave them.
Hwan-ung promised their wish would be granted if they stayed in the cave out of sunlight for 100 days
eating only the sacred mugwort and garlic he gave them.
So the bear and the tiger went to stay in their cave for 100 days,
but the tiger got tired of the vegan diet and soon ran away.
The bear, however, managed to stay put and after 21 days became a woman.
but the tiger got tired of the vegan diet and soon ran away.
The bear, however, managed to stay put and after 21 days became a woman.
Ung(bear)-nyo(woman) prayed again, this time for an offspring,
and Hwan-ung transformed into a human and married her.
Ungnyo gave birth to a son named Dan-gun - the first king of Ancient Chosun who ruled for 1500 years.
and Hwan-ung transformed into a human and married her.
Ungnyo gave birth to a son named Dan-gun - the first king of Ancient Chosun who ruled for 1500 years.
Baridegi: Abandoned Princess
A king had 6 daughters and no son.
When his 7th baby turned out to be another girl, the king got so mad that he threw out the newborn.
Baridegi(Thrown-away Thing) was raised by an old woman without knowing her real identity.
When his 7th baby turned out to be another girl, the king got so mad that he threw out the newborn.
Baridegi(Thrown-away Thing) was raised by an old woman without knowing her real identity.
Years later, the king became gravely ill. The only cure was an elixir and flowers from a faraway land.
All 6 princesses refused to make a dangerous journey for the medicine.
So the king tracked down and found Bari as the last resort, and she traveled to the western land.
All 6 princesses refused to make a dangerous journey for the medicine.
So the king tracked down and found Bari as the last resort, and she traveled to the western land.
After a long adventure, Bari located the elixir and the flowers.
But the guard of the medicine said she couldn’t have them until she gave him 3 sons.
So she married him, gave birth to 3 boys, and only then was able to travel back home with the cure.
But the guard of the medicine said she couldn’t have them until she gave him 3 sons.
So she married him, gave birth to 3 boys, and only then was able to travel back home with the cure.
When Bari arrived at her father’s castle, she was met with the king’s funeral procession.
Bari touched the king’s dead body with the flowers and moistened his mouth with elixir.
Flesh and blood came back into the corpse and the king came back to life.
Bari became the goddess in the land of the dead.
Bari touched the king’s dead body with the flowers and moistened his mouth with elixir.
Flesh and blood came back into the corpse and the king came back to life.
Bari became the goddess in the land of the dead.
Red Bean Soup Granny & Tiger
A tiger tried to eat a granny who was working on a field of red beans.
The granny begged the tiger to wait until the winter solstice
when she would have harvested the red beans and made soup out of them.
So the tiger came to tea on the solstice day, to eat the granny and red bean soup!
The granny begged the tiger to wait until the winter solstice
when she would have harvested the red beans and made soup out of them.
So the tiger came to tea on the solstice day, to eat the granny and red bean soup!
The tiger went into the granny’s kitchen.
As he tried to taste the red bean soup, baked chestnuts popped out from the furnace and burned the tiger’s eyes.
He put his head into the water bucket to cool down his eyes, and a turtle bit the tiger’s nose.
Retreating from the bucket, the tiger stepped on cow dung and slipped. Then a punch poked his bumhole.
As he tried to taste the red bean soup, baked chestnuts popped out from the furnace and burned the tiger’s eyes.
He put his head into the water bucket to cool down his eyes, and a turtle bit the tiger’s nose.
Retreating from the bucket, the tiger stepped on cow dung and slipped. Then a punch poked his bumhole.
The tiger took a big fright from all these attacks and tried to run out of the kitchen.
One last blow came from a grinding stone that jumped and fell onto the tiger’s head, and the tiger passed out.
A mat wrapped the tiger tight, and a timber carrier took him down to the river and threw the tiger away.
Then the granny, chestnuts, turtle, cow dung, punch, mat and timber carrier had a red bean soup party!
One last blow came from a grinding stone that jumped and fell onto the tiger’s head, and the tiger passed out.
A mat wrapped the tiger tight, and a timber carrier took him down to the river and threw the tiger away.
Then the granny, chestnuts, turtle, cow dung, punch, mat and timber carrier had a red bean soup party!
The Cowherd & The Weaver
Once upon a time in East Asian heaven,
there lived a diligent young woman who had the best weaving skills in the universe.
Her loving grandfather, the Jade King (king of heaven) found her the perfect match,
who was the best cowherd in all of high heaven.
The couple absolutely fell in love with each other and dropped all their hard work as soon as they were married.
A year went by without them getting any work done.
The Jade King was furious to see them being so lazy and punished them by putting the Milky Way between them.
Now they were only allowed to see each other once a year, on the seventh of July (lunar).
The crows and magpies saw the couple crying on either side of the Milky Way
without any means to cross the river of the stars,
and created a bridge of birds so the couple could be close to each other.
They say the rain in the evening of the seventh of July is their tears of joy for seeing each other,
and if it rains in the early hours of the following day is their tears of sadness for having to say goodbye.
(The Cowherd is Altair and The Weaver Girl is Vega,
which are the brightest stars in their own constellations.
Together with Deneb, they form the Summer Triangle in the northern hemisphere.)
there lived a diligent young woman who had the best weaving skills in the universe.
Her loving grandfather, the Jade King (king of heaven) found her the perfect match,
who was the best cowherd in all of high heaven.
The couple absolutely fell in love with each other and dropped all their hard work as soon as they were married.
A year went by without them getting any work done.
The Jade King was furious to see them being so lazy and punished them by putting the Milky Way between them.
Now they were only allowed to see each other once a year, on the seventh of July (lunar).
The crows and magpies saw the couple crying on either side of the Milky Way
without any means to cross the river of the stars,
and created a bridge of birds so the couple could be close to each other.
They say the rain in the evening of the seventh of July is their tears of joy for seeing each other,
and if it rains in the early hours of the following day is their tears of sadness for having to say goodbye.
(The Cowherd is Altair and The Weaver Girl is Vega,
which are the brightest stars in their own constellations.
Together with Deneb, they form the Summer Triangle in the northern hemisphere.)
The Rabbit & The Turtle
Dragon King of the South Sea fell gravely ill & no medicine worked for him.
One last thing the doctor suggested was a rabbit’s liver.
So a turtle was sent on a perilous journey onto the land and into the woods
and brought a rabbit to the ocean palace with a false promise of a great position in the ocean court.
One last thing the doctor suggested was a rabbit’s liver.
So a turtle was sent on a perilous journey onto the land and into the woods
and brought a rabbit to the ocean palace with a false promise of a great position in the ocean court.
When the rabbit realised he was about to be killed,
he said his liver was indeed such a precious medicine that he left it hidden in a secret den on land,
and that he would happily go and get it for the king.
Despite the turtle’s plea, the court decided that the rabbit was telling the truth.
he said his liver was indeed such a precious medicine that he left it hidden in a secret den on land,
and that he would happily go and get it for the king.
Despite the turtle’s plea, the court decided that the rabbit was telling the truth.
Before the rabbit departed, the king threw a banquet
and the rabbit got drunk and danced with the ocean beauties.
Looking at him dancing, the ministers of the court wondered what could be wiggling in the rabbit’s belly, if not a liver.
The rabbit dared them to cut him open to see there was only poo in his belly.
They couldn’t, in case there was no liver and they would have killed the rabbit for nothing.
and the rabbit got drunk and danced with the ocean beauties.
Looking at him dancing, the ministers of the court wondered what could be wiggling in the rabbit’s belly, if not a liver.
The rabbit dared them to cut him open to see there was only poo in his belly.
They couldn’t, in case there was no liver and they would have killed the rabbit for nothing.
The poor turtle was ordered to shuttle the rabbit back to land and bring the liver.
The moment they arrived on the shore, the rabbit ran into the woods and was never to be found.
The turtle knew he would be killed if he went back empty-handed,
so he picked up some rabbit poo and presented it to the king.
The king took the medicine the turtle brought and recovered.
The moment they arrived on the shore, the rabbit ran into the woods and was never to be found.
The turtle knew he would be killed if he went back empty-handed,
so he picked up some rabbit poo and presented it to the king.
The king took the medicine the turtle brought and recovered.
The Swallow's Squash Seeds
Heung-bu and Nol-bu were brothers.
Nol-bu was Korean Trump, so took all their inheritance & kicked out Heung-bu out of their house.
Despite living off menial jobs day by day, Heung-bu was a caring man and built a loving family in a small cottage.
One day, a snake attacked the swallow’s nest under Heung-bu’s roof.
One of the swallows broke its leg in the fight.
Heung-bu nursed it back to health so it could fly to the south to reunite with its family.
The following spring, the swallow brought him a mysterious seed & Heung-bu sowed it next to his cottage.
The sprout from the seed kept growing and bore a giant squash.
Heung-bu harvested it in the Autumn, expecting a big feast.
But when he cut open the fruit, out came all kinds of treasures, and he became the richest man in the country.
Nol-bu was very jealous to hear about his brother.
He caught a swallow, broke its leg and nursed it back to health.
The following spring, the swallow brought him a mysterious seed and Nol-bu planted it next to his mansion.
Autumn came, and Nol-bu harvested the squash expecting all kinds of treasures in it.
But from his squash, out came all kinds of bad luck and curses, and Nolbu lost everything he had!
Nol-bu was Korean Trump, so took all their inheritance & kicked out Heung-bu out of their house.
Despite living off menial jobs day by day, Heung-bu was a caring man and built a loving family in a small cottage.
One day, a snake attacked the swallow’s nest under Heung-bu’s roof.
One of the swallows broke its leg in the fight.
Heung-bu nursed it back to health so it could fly to the south to reunite with its family.
The following spring, the swallow brought him a mysterious seed & Heung-bu sowed it next to his cottage.
The sprout from the seed kept growing and bore a giant squash.
Heung-bu harvested it in the Autumn, expecting a big feast.
But when he cut open the fruit, out came all kinds of treasures, and he became the richest man in the country.
Nol-bu was very jealous to hear about his brother.
He caught a swallow, broke its leg and nursed it back to health.
The following spring, the swallow brought him a mysterious seed and Nol-bu planted it next to his mansion.
Autumn came, and Nol-bu harvested the squash expecting all kinds of treasures in it.
But from his squash, out came all kinds of bad luck and curses, and Nolbu lost everything he had!
The Snake Groom
Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived an old couple who wished for a baby for decades.
The old woman found herself with child by some miracle and gave birth to a snake.
3 sisters from the village visited, curious to meet the snake baby.
Sister No.1 & 2 ran away, thinking he was gross.
But Sister No.3, the youngest, thought him lovely.
The snake asked his mother to send a matchmaker to the sisters’ house.
The old woman hesitated because who would want to marry a snake?
He said if his mother didn’t send the matchmaker,
he would go back into her womb with fire in one hand and a sword in the other.
Sister No.3 agreed to marry the snake.
On their wedding night, the snake groom asked his new bride to get him
a jar of soy sauce, a jar of flour and a jar of water.
He crawled into the jar of soy sauce, then into the jar of flour,
lastly into the jar of water to wash himself off, and turned into a handsome young man.
He gave her his snake skin to keep safe while he was away in Hanyang(Seoul),
taking a state exam in the hope of becoming a government official.
Sister No.1 & 2 got very jealous upon finding out their younger sister in fact married a handsome man.
They visited after he left for Seoul, searched the house and burned the snake skin while Sister No.3 was asleep.
Even from afar, the snake groom could smell his skin burning and felt betrayed.
As he didn’t come back after the state exam, Sister No.3 went in search of her snake husband.
She asked a crow, a wild boar, a wash woman, and a farmer for his whereabouts
and finally found his new house where he lived with his new wife.
Now that he was a respectable scholar-official, there couldn’t be two wives under his roof.
So the two women competed to bring timber from the forest, water from the river,
and finally, an eyebrow of a tiger.
Sister No.3 won all three competitions and therefore won back her husband.
Do you think they lived happily ever after?
The old woman found herself with child by some miracle and gave birth to a snake.
3 sisters from the village visited, curious to meet the snake baby.
Sister No.1 & 2 ran away, thinking he was gross.
But Sister No.3, the youngest, thought him lovely.
The snake asked his mother to send a matchmaker to the sisters’ house.
The old woman hesitated because who would want to marry a snake?
He said if his mother didn’t send the matchmaker,
he would go back into her womb with fire in one hand and a sword in the other.
Sister No.3 agreed to marry the snake.
On their wedding night, the snake groom asked his new bride to get him
a jar of soy sauce, a jar of flour and a jar of water.
He crawled into the jar of soy sauce, then into the jar of flour,
lastly into the jar of water to wash himself off, and turned into a handsome young man.
He gave her his snake skin to keep safe while he was away in Hanyang(Seoul),
taking a state exam in the hope of becoming a government official.
Sister No.1 & 2 got very jealous upon finding out their younger sister in fact married a handsome man.
They visited after he left for Seoul, searched the house and burned the snake skin while Sister No.3 was asleep.
Even from afar, the snake groom could smell his skin burning and felt betrayed.
As he didn’t come back after the state exam, Sister No.3 went in search of her snake husband.
She asked a crow, a wild boar, a wash woman, and a farmer for his whereabouts
and finally found his new house where he lived with his new wife.
Now that he was a respectable scholar-official, there couldn’t be two wives under his roof.
So the two women competed to bring timber from the forest, water from the river,
and finally, an eyebrow of a tiger.
Sister No.3 won all three competitions and therefore won back her husband.
Do you think they lived happily ever after?
The Farty New Bride
There lived a young woman who just got married & moved in with her in-laws.
She was healthy & happy as could be at first, but as days went by,
the family noticed that she looked increasingly uncomfortable.
Her face also turned yellower & yellower.
When interrogated, the new bride said it was because she had been holding in her fart for too long
as she now lived with her in-laws.
The mother & father-in-law heard this and said it was totally fine for her to fart,
there was nothing to be embarrassed about, her health & comfort is more important.
After all, how big a fart could a dainty young woman really make?
Upon reassurance from the in-laws, the woman said OK, I would fart then.
She told everybody to please hold onto something.
Then she let out the biggest & the longest fart that anyone on the Korean peninsula has ever seen.
It was so strong that the house was blown away.
The in-laws got so mad at the level of the farty destruction that they decided to annul the marriage.
So now the bride travelled with FIL back to her original family to be returned like a faulty product.
They got tired on the way & sat down under a jujube tree to rest.
The father-in-law said to himself that he’d love some jujubes.
The bride told him to step away & farted at the tree
which shook so hard by her fart & dropped all the fruit it was bearing.
The fatner-in-law ate the jujubes to his heart’s content & said her fart has some use!
So he decided not to return the bride & brought her back to his house.
She was healthy & happy as could be at first, but as days went by,
the family noticed that she looked increasingly uncomfortable.
Her face also turned yellower & yellower.
When interrogated, the new bride said it was because she had been holding in her fart for too long
as she now lived with her in-laws.
The mother & father-in-law heard this and said it was totally fine for her to fart,
there was nothing to be embarrassed about, her health & comfort is more important.
After all, how big a fart could a dainty young woman really make?
Upon reassurance from the in-laws, the woman said OK, I would fart then.
She told everybody to please hold onto something.
Then she let out the biggest & the longest fart that anyone on the Korean peninsula has ever seen.
It was so strong that the house was blown away.
The in-laws got so mad at the level of the farty destruction that they decided to annul the marriage.
So now the bride travelled with FIL back to her original family to be returned like a faulty product.
They got tired on the way & sat down under a jujube tree to rest.
The father-in-law said to himself that he’d love some jujubes.
The bride told him to step away & farted at the tree
which shook so hard by her fart & dropped all the fruit it was bearing.
The fatner-in-law ate the jujubes to his heart’s content & said her fart has some use!
So he decided not to return the bride & brought her back to his house.
Puppy Kills Tiger
Once upon a time in Korea, there was a tiny sickly stray puppy.
A scary tiger spotted the puppy & thought she’d make an easy snack.
But the unexpectedly feisty puppy kept running in & out of rabbit holes in the ground, winding up the tiger.
Annoyed tiger waited with his mouth open in front of the hole the puppy was coming out of,
and so the puppy ran into the tiger’s mouth.
But the puppy still had fight in her - she kept running and running,
through the tiger’s stomach & intestines & finally out of his AH!
And the tiger was killed by anal rupture🩸
Morale of the story: RESIST!!
This is one of many Korean folktales where the small & meek beats the strong & powerful.
Tigers were often worshipped as mountain gods/ guardians by Koreans,
but also appear in many stories as a powerful oppressor.
A scary tiger spotted the puppy & thought she’d make an easy snack.
But the unexpectedly feisty puppy kept running in & out of rabbit holes in the ground, winding up the tiger.
Annoyed tiger waited with his mouth open in front of the hole the puppy was coming out of,
and so the puppy ran into the tiger’s mouth.
But the puppy still had fight in her - she kept running and running,
through the tiger’s stomach & intestines & finally out of his AH!
And the tiger was killed by anal rupture🩸
Morale of the story: RESIST!!
This is one of many Korean folktales where the small & meek beats the strong & powerful.
Tigers were often worshipped as mountain gods/ guardians by Koreans,
but also appear in many stories as a powerful oppressor.
