APIFantasy | Myth and Folklore Anthology

Korean Mythology - Folktale #1: The Sun and the Moon

written by innofir

Note: Thisfolktale was possibly a myth that explained the origin of the Sun and the Moon. However, it became a folktale as time passed. The historical setting is unclear, although it is clear that it is Korean.

•✦──────✧✦✧──────✦•

The Sun and the Moon

Long, long ago, a widowed woman and her two children (one son and one daughter, the son was older than the daughter) lived deep in the mountains. The mother sold rice cakes for a living, and one day she went out to the market to sell the rice cakes as usual. The way to the market was harsh, as the mother had to pass many hills. After the mother finished selling the rice cakes at late night, she met a tiger at the first hill.

"Give me a rice cake, and you'll live," the tiger said. The terrified mother threw him one. The tiger ran off into the mountains. The mother then went to the next hill. The same tiger was there, demanding rice cakes. The tiger repeated the action every time the mother approached another hill. Eventually, the mother ran out of rice cakes to give. The tiger attacked the mother, and it ate her.

The tiger wore the mother's clothes and went to where her children lived. When the tiger arrived at the house, it called out to the children pretending to be the mother. The children, who grew suspicious of the tiger's voice asked why her voice was strange. The tiger replied by saying that it had a cold. The children again asked the tiger to show its hand if it really was their mother. The tiger made a hole in the door and pushed its paw through it. The children immediately knew that it was a tiger. They protested that their mother's hand was paler than the tiger's paw and told it that they needed to go to the restroom (traditional Korean restrooms are separated from the house, and can be usually reached by the back door). The tiger went to the kitchen (which was also separated) and found some white powder (some say it was rice flour, while some say it was regular flour) to put on its hand. It later realized that the children were gone.

The siblings climbed a tree, one that was high enough. However, the tiger saw their reflection in the well. It began to ask how the children were able to get there, and the son replied that they used oil. The tiger found oil in the kitchen and it attempted to climb the tree, but failed. The sight was so funny that the daughter let it slip that it could just use an ax. The tiger soon found an ax and began to chop down the tree.

Thesiblings, who were on the verge of dying, began to pray for their safety. Then,a rope was tossed down from the sky. They used the rope to reach the skies andthe daughter became the Sun, while the son became the Moon. The tiger, who hadwitnessed their escape, also prayed for a rope. Another rope appeared, but itwas rotten and weak. It soon snapped, causing the tiger to fall to its death.

•✦──────✧✦✧──────✦•

Did you find this interesting? Please let us know in the comments!

Thank you to innofir for providing this information to us and allowing more people to learn about Korean mythology!