Cultural Post #3

[Haley Zhao]

Korean folklore is tales derived from different traditions and religions, such as Shamanism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity. Among those, Shamanism explains the world through supernatural beings such as spirits and ghosts, with a belief that “spirits inhabit every object on earth.” One kind of folklore called Imuldam (이물담) specifically focuses on supernatural beings including goblin and ghosts. The stories often describe the supernatural being in the human world and engage in relations with humans.

I first got interested in the subject from seeing the Korean drama Goblin. It tells a story of a general from the Goryeo Dynasty who becomes a goblin (dokkaebi 도깨비) after death. He searched for the Goblin’s bride (도깨비 신부) who could end his painful immortality. The Grim Reaper from the drama would become invisible from wearing a black hat. This may come from the folktale “The Goblin’s Hat” (Dokkaebi Gamtu 도깨비 감투). It tells the story of a man who acquired a dokkaebi’s hat and became invisible to other people. He used his power to steal food and other necessities from others in the village. He was ultimately caught and beaten.

Different from Western concepts, Goblins (dokkaebi) are not inherently evil. They are supernatural creatures that generally would bring happiness and are friendly to humans. Dokkaebi is also known to control all sea creatures, which made many fishing communities worship them. However, in the Jeolla provinces, dokkaebi are considered harbingers of disease, and there are rituals for exorcising them. In the mountainous regions, they are believed to start forest fires, and so dokkaebi rituals are held accordingly.

The first recorded story of dokkaebi appeared in Samguk Yusa from the Silla Dynasty. The most precise record of their abilities comes from a fifteenth-century work Seokbo Sangjeol, where dokkaebi is an object of worship like gods. People would pray to them for good fortune and longevity. Dokkaebi comes in different versions. They may have features like horns, big mouths, building eyes, long claws, and a hairy body. They are usually night beings, but may also come out in foggy and rainy days.  

During the Japanese colonial era, dokkaebi became subsumed by oni. This is how the Japanese story Kobutori Jisan became Hokburiyeonggam (The Old Man with a Lump on His Neck) and appeared in colonial-era Korean textbooks, a case of the oni being transferred into the dokkaebi tradition. Dokkaebi is a completely different creature from ghosts and monsters. In Korean folklore, ghosts (귀신) come from human beings that exist between life and death. While because of the Shamanistic worldview of  “spirits inhabit every object on earth,” dokkaebi can be derived from household objects such as brooms and baskets. Ghosts are humans who passed away, but still linger in the human world because of unresolved grudges known as 원한.

[Han Tran]

Hi Haley!

Thanks for sharing your this! Back high school, I was really into Asian folklore and monsters. I remember that's one of the reasons why I decided to watch Goblin (and I love it so much). Unlike the western world, Asians tend to be quite superstitious. I was told through personal stories as a kid that monsters and ghosts are real. However, I was taught that not all monsters are inherently bad, and most just play tricks on you. On the other hands, ghosts can be good or really really bad. Good ghosts are guardians - often ancestors or a close family member, while bad ghosts are lingering souls with unresolved problems. 

One well known type of ghosts is the 'hungry' ghost. They are wandering souls that are still stuck in the mortal world due to some unresolved conflicts and remain hungry and suffer due to their inability to pass on. These ghosts are an example of a "bad ghost" that can bring bad luck. To appease them, people would leave out rice or small offerings to alleviate their suffering and thus be left alone.

[Priyanka Nehra]

Haley,

Thank you for sharing this. I've always enjoyed the Korean dramas, like the show Goblin you mentioned, with a concept around these ideas. This is the first time I am learning about the folklore called Imuldam, dokkaebi, and the history behind it. In the last sentence you talk about how ghosts are humans who passed away, but still linger in the human world because of unresolved grudges. This is so interesting because, another drama called "Hotel de Luna" that I watched recently-which I really enjoyed-is focused entirely behind this idea. This is such an insightful post!