Korean Mythology is rife with dangerous creatures
and terrifying monsters.
With a large and diverse mythology, you can
imagine the types of monsters that are told
as bedtime stories, and to keep children from
straying too far from home.
From fiery dogs, to dragons, to malevolent
spirits, this is the Top 5 Scary Monsters
From North Korea.
Before we begin though, be sure to stick around
until the end of the video where I’ll be
responding to some of your comments, and with
that, let’s jump in.
5 Bul-Gae
Bul-Gae are the mythical Fire Dogs hailing
from Korean Mythology.
They are said to be beasts from the kingdom
of darkness that always chase the sun and
moon, causing eclipses when they bite both
the celestial bodies.
According to myth from Korea, there were many
realms of heaven.
One of them, the kingdom of darkness, was
called Gamangnara, aka the dark world.
The king of the dark world got weary with
darkness and desired the light of the sun
and the moon.
So what he did was he sent one of the fiery
hounds belonging to the dark world to chase
the sun and bring it to his realm.
However, when the Bul-Gae tried to bite the
sun, it was too hot, of course, and it burned
the dog’s mouth forcing it to let go.
The king got angry and then sent another one
to fetch the moon.
However, when the dog bit the moon, it was
too cold and it had to let go.
This happened so many times that it resulted
in eclipses, and during eclipses, the dark
parts covering the sun and moon were believed
to be the parts bitten and covered by the
mouths of the Bul-Gae.
Now, more interesting still, there is actually
a nearly extinct breed of dog called Bul-Gae
in South Korea, with the name of the breed
referring to its obvious resemblance to the
mythical dogs, with its maroon coat and nails,
amber nose and amber eyes.
4 A Kumiho
Also known as the fox spirit, or nine-tailed
fox, this is a mythical fox entity originating
from Korean mythology.
They are often depicted as a familiar spirit,
possessed of magic powers.
These foxes are said to be incredibly mischievous,
and are known to trick people with the ability
to disguise themselves as a beautiful woman.
I quote: “The fox spirit is an especially
prolific shapeshifter, known variously as
the huli jing in China, the kitsune in Japan,
and the Kumiho in Korea.
Although the specifics of the tales vary,
these fox spirits can usually shapeshift,
often taking the form of beautiful young women
who attempt to seduce men, whether for mere
mischief or to consume their bodies or spirits.”
In a Tang Dynasty Story, foxes are said to
become humans by wearing a skull and worshipping
the big dipper.
They would supposedly try on multiple skulls
until they found one that fit without falling
off.
Describing the transformation and other features
of the fox, Guo Pu stated, I quote: “When
a fox is fifty years old, it can transform
itself into a woman; when a hundred years
old, it becomes a beautiful female, or a spirit
medium, or an adult male who has sexual intercourse
with women.
Such beings are able to know things at more
than a thousand miles’ distance; they can
possess and bewilder them, so that they lose
their memory and knowledge; and when a fox
is a thousand years old, it ascends to heaven
and becomes a celestial fox.”
3 Dokkaebi
Dokkaebi are said to be legendary creatures
hailing from Korean Mythology and Folklore.
They are also known as Korean Goblins.
These are nature deities or spirits which
are said to possess extraordinary powers and
abilities that are used to interact with humans,
and are used to play tricks on them and at
times help them if needed.
Legends describe different dokkaebi as wearing
hanbok, this is a traditional Korean dress
that is worn during traditional occasions
such as festivals, celebrations, and ceremonies.
It is also stated that most Dokkaebi have
the surname “Kim”.
These creatures are different from ghosts,
which are referred to as Gwisin in Korean,
in that they are not formed by the death of
a human being, but instead by the possession
of an inanimate object such as old discarded
household tools like brooms, or objects stained
with blood.
They are often depicted as fearsome and awe-inspiring,
with the most common depiction of them being
based on ancient roof tiles with dokkaebi
patterns.
The monsters are said to possess magical items,
such as the dokkaebi hate called the dokkaebi
gamtu, which grants the wearer the ability
of invisibility.
Dokkaebi are also said to be extremely skilled
at wrestling and cannot be beaten unless their
right side is exploited.
In other tales, they only have one leg, so
if one should hook their leg and push them,
they would win.
It doesn’t stop there though.
They are also believed to have immense supernatural
powers, and can bring good harvests, big catches
and great fortunes to humans, if they wish
that is.
Rituals are often held to appeal to dokkaebi
to bring benefit to humans.
2 Korean Dragon
These legendary monsters are infamous throughout
Korean mythology and folklore that are linked
to water and agriculture, and are known to
be benevolent beings that are considered to
be the bringers of rain and clouds.
Korean Dragons are said to reside in rivers,
lakes, ocean or even deep mountain ponds.
These dragons have been referenced throughout
history and even in ancient texts.
Some of these texts mention sentient speaking
dragons which are capable of understanding
emotions such as devotion, kindness, and even
gratitude.
In one legend, a story tells of the great
King Munmu, who on his deathbed wish to become,
I quote: “Dragon of the East Sea in order
to protect Korea”.
It is said that the Korean Dragon in many
ways is similar to other East Asian Dragons,
such as the Chinese and Japanese Dragons.
However, in some cases the Korean Dragon is
depicted as carrying an orb known as the yeouiju
in its claws or mouth, this is the Korean
name for the mythical Cintamani.
This is often considered to be similar to
the philosopher's stone.
It is said that whoever could wield this was
blessed with the abilities of omnipotence
and creation at will, and that only four-toed
dragons were both wise and powerful enough
to wield these orbs, as opposed to the lesser,
three-toed dragons.
1 Imugi
Leading on from our previous number, in Korean
mythology it is stated that most dragons were
originally Imugis, or lesser dragons, which
are said to resemble gigantic serpents.
Throughout folklore, there are various different
descriptions of Imugis, as well as how they
aspire to become full-fledged dragons, like
our previous number.
It was thought throughout Korea that an Imugi
could become a true dragon if it were to catch
a Yeouiju which had fallen from heaven.
An Yeouiju is an ancient dragon spirit.
Another explanation states that they are hornless
creatures resembling dragons who have been
cursed and thus were unable to become dragons
themselves.
Other stories tell of Imugi being proto-dragons
which must survive one thousand years in order
to become a fully fledged dragon.
Regardless, they are said to be huge, benevolent,
python-like creatures that are said to live
in water or caves, however, it is said that
spotting one is a sign of good luck.
In 2007, a movie was released called D-War,
in which two Imugi were seen competing for
the possession of a source of power.
One was good, one was evil.
Ultimately the evil was conquered.
In the movie it heavily implies that many
Imugi exist at the same time, with only a
few being designated to become a full dragon.
Well, there we have it!
Do you guys agree with our list?
Were there any monsters that we missed?
Leave us all your thoughts and feelings in
the comments down below and perhaps we can
do a part 2.
Before I go though, I just want to respond
to a few comments from one of our last videos,
Top 5 Cursed Playground From Around The World.
Thomas said: “Lucy is quality crumpet”
---
Daniel Smith-Harrod: “I would never play
in a Dead Children’s Playground unless it
was with Lucy and Keegs” ---
JoeJoe Animations said: “That’s a cute
outfit Lucy and looks comfortable, do you
think I could get one?”
---
EFEF 3334 said: “And that’s why I don’t
go to playgrounds” ---
Tricia W said: “Lucy I’m not here to thank
you for your appearance today, but I do.
I want to thank you, and Netflix, for your
Session 9 recommendation!
Keep up the good work” ---
Tiffany Benefield said: “I’m about 15
minutes away from the Huntsville Alabama playground.
I’m going to try to go sometime soon.
Thank you Lucy for reminding me of it.”
---
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