[Korean Culture & Language] Goblins 도깨비

 

Hello, this is Uptempo Marketers!


source: https://program.tving.com/

Goblin (Dokkaebi/도깨비) is a famous romantic fantasy K-drama about a modern-day goblin (Gong-yoo) looking for a human bride (Kim Go-eun) to end his cursed immortal life. The only way to remove the sword pierced through this 939-year-old goblin’s chest was to find the bride. His life becomes intertwined with a grim reaper (Lee Dong Wook) who has lost his memory. When the goblin finally finds his bride, he suddenly realizes that he wants to live and be with her.

도깨비 stars many famous actors and actresses like Gong Yoo, Kim Go-eun, Lee Dong-wook, Yoo In-na, and Yook Sung-jae. Its final episode had an 18.68% nationwide audience share, making it the fifth highest rated drama on Korean cable television.

Like how animals occupy large portion of Aesop’s fables, 도깨비 appear in a vast number of Korean folktales (전래동화). 도깨비 are mythical creatures that are nature deities or spirits with extraordinary powers and abilities. They are different from 귀신(ghosts) because they are generated by the spiritual possession of an inanimate object, such as old discarded household tools like brooms, or objects stained with human blood, rather than by the death of a human being.

In some cultures, goblins are portrayed as malicious, evil-doers who pose a threat to humans. However, Korean goblins(도깨비) are portrayed as naughty troublemakers who despise murder and blood. They are illustrated as mischievous, naughty, and even cowardly sometimes. It is stated that Korean 도깨비 address all human men as “김서방(Mr. Kim)”. Given the large number of Kims in Korea, 도깨비 must have assumed that all human men are Kims.

유물보기 _ 대구가톨릭대학교 박물관
source: http://museum.cu.ac.kr/home/hall/hall02/02_05_r09.html

source: https://blog.naver.com/lightage/40018440226

There’s a Korean idiom “도깨비도 수풀이 있어야 재주를 피운다 (Goblins need bushes to perform their tricks)”. It means “Regardless of how gifted a person is, certain conditions must be met in order for them to be able to demonstrate their talents”.

I will cover a 전래동화 related to 도깨비 in my next article.

댓글

댓글 쓰기

이 블로그의 인기 게시물

[Korean Culture & Language] Impulsiveness and MBTI

이미지
Hello, this is Uptempo! The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) has become increasingly popular in Korea in 2020, owing to people’s boredom due to the COVID-19 quarantine. Since the spring, MBTI feeds have been readily available on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms.   Below is a popular meme titled ‘ #MBTI 충동 (MBTI Impulsiveness) ’. This meme jokingly illustrates how ‘ 충동적인 (impulsive)’ each MBTI types are.   https://ddnews.co.kr/mbti-%EC%A7%A4-%EB%B0%88/ It reads: 전혀 충동적이지 않음 (Not impulsive at all): ENTJ, ISTJ, ISFJ, ESTJ 평균적으로 충동적임 (Average impulsivity): INTJ, INFJ, ENFJ, ESFJ 너무 충동적 (Very impulsive): INTP, INFP, ISTP, ISFP 엄청나게 충동적 (Extremely impulsive): ENTP, ENFP, ESTP, ESFP 전혀 means ‘ not at all ,’ 평균적으로 means ‘ to an average level ,’ 너무 means ‘ very , ’ 엄청나게 means ‘ extremely ’.   The above meme is another illustration of impulsiveness by MBTI types. ENFP says “ 요즘 자수가 너무 배우고 싶어 (I want to learn how to embroider). 근데 나 소묘도 배워...
자세한 내용 보기

[Korean Culture & Language] Switching between the liver and the gallbladder

이미지
Hello, this is Uptempo! “Saving face” has always been a very important part of Korean culture. Most Koreans try hard to “ 체면을 세우다 (build one’s face),” and “ 체면을 지키다 (maintain one’s face),” and not to “ 체면을 잃다 or 체면을 구기다 (lose one’s face).” ‘ 세우다 ’ means ‘to build’ ‘ 지키다 ’ means ‘to keep’ ‘ 잃다 ’ means ‘to lose’ ‘ 구기다 ’ means ‘to crumple’ or ‘to damage’ ‘Saving one’s face’ means ‘to build one’s reputation,’ ‘maintaining’ one’s face’ means ‘to keep one’s reputation,” and ‘losing one’s face’ means ‘to lose or damage one’s reputation.’ However, some people are more concerned about their profit than “saving or maintaining their face.” They “ 간에 붙었다 쓸개에 붙었다 한다. ” ‘ 간 ’ means ‘liver’ ‘ 붙다 ’ means ‘to stick’ ‘ 쓸개 ’ means ‘gallbladder’ It is directly translated to “It sticks to the liver for a second and then moves to the gallbladder to stick to it for another.” It describes the behavior of someone who switches between two opposing teams or groups for completely selfish reasons. The...
자세한 내용 보기

[Korean Culture & Language] Washing one's Identity

이미지
Hello, this is Uptempo! In July 2021, a Chinese man in his 50s got arrested for killing two people in China and fleeing to Korea. It took years to catch him because he has ‘ 신분세탁 (washed his identity) ’ . Photo by   Jeremy Sallee   on   Unsplash https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/24104555#home According to Korea JoongAng Daily, this murderer killed two people in Yantai, Shandong Province, China in 1987, when he was 20. While hiding in China, he made a new passport after ‘ 신분세탁 (washing his identification) ’. He entered Korea in 2016, and has obtained a permanent residency (F5) visa by marrying a Chinese woman who had obtained Korean citizenship a while back. The term 신분세탁 (Washing one’s identity) refers to a person’s attempt to conceal their prior identity to rebuild a new life . Prostitutes and ex-convicts, for example, are likely to strive to 신분세탁 (rebuild their lives by concealing the fact that they have ever committed a crime or worked as a prostitute).   Belo...
자세한 내용 보기