[Korean Culture & Language] When tigers used to smoke

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Photo by Blake Meyer on Unsplash
Tigers have long been associated with Korean culture and people. It can be found in Korean mythology, folklore, and a favorite subject of Korean art such as painting and sculpture. Even the mascot of the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea was Hodori, a tiger character.

The oldest record about the tiger can be found in the myth of Dangun, the legendary founding father of Gojoseon, told in the Samguk Yusa, or the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms. (Wikipedia). A bear and a tiger, according to the myth, wished to be human. The bear transformed into a woman after just eating mugwort and garlic for 100 days in the cave. The tiger, on the other hand, couldn’t take it and ran off, failing to fulfill its goal.

There are about 600 folktales in which tigers appear, such as "Sun and Moon," and “The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon”. The tiger is so closely associated with Korean culture and history that many folktales begin with the phrase "옛날 옛적에, 호랑이 담배 피던 시절에…," which means “A long, long time ago when tigers used to smoke…".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk3gvMGES-o

There is a saying in Korean, “호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다”. 

‘호랑이’ is a ‘tiger’

‘제’ means ‘its’

‘말하면’ means ‘speak’

‘온다’ means ‘come’

It is literally translated as “Even tigers come when you mention it”. Can you guess what it means? It means: “Speak of the devil”.

“호랑이에게 물려가도 정신만 차리면 산다” is another Korean idiom that’s related to tigers. It is translated as “Even if you are cornered by a tiger, you can survive if you keep your cool”. It means “Keeping one’s cool and holding oneself together can help handle even the most dangerous circumstances or hardships”.

Do you agree with the idioms?

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