The Brothers Kim and the Dokkaebi In the early days of the Shilla dynasty, there was a nobleman from one of the Kim families who went by the name Bangi. Bangi was good-natured and kind, but was quite poor. As it so happened, he had a younger brother who was quite rich, but was vicious... Continue Reading →
Meet Dokkaebi – 11
A Dokkaebi's Gratitude A long time ago, in a certain town, there was a considerably poor man. Unable to stand his condition any longer, went beneath the bridge that was just outside of town and laid out some dog meat and a keg of wine, crying, “Brother Dokkaebi! Uncle Dokkaebi! I have something good for... Continue Reading →
Meet Dokkaebi – 10
The Dokkaebi's Warning A long time ago, in a village of Jeolla province, there lived a wealthy widower and his 13-year-old daughter. The rich man was exceedingly stingy, but his daughter was kind hearted and was well loved in town. One year there was a big drought and many people went hungry, but the only... Continue Reading →
Meet Dokkaebi – 9
A drunk stumbled home late one night and decided to take a shortcut home down a dark path. A dokkaebi jumped out and challenged him to a wrestling match. This dokkaebi only had one leg and the man quickly won, but the dokkaebi jumped up and eagerly insisted on another match. Match after match the... Continue Reading →
Meet Dokkaebi – 8
Long ago there lived a poor farmer who lived just outside town. Early one morning on his way to market, a dokkaebi jumped out and scared the farmer. But instead of attacking, the dokkaebi said: “Hey farmer! Go into town and buy me a leg of dog!” And before the farmer could react, the dokkaebi... Continue Reading →
Meet Dokkaebi – 7
You Can’t Trust Humans Once there was a widow who was barely able to support herself. One day she heard a storyteller talking about the dokkaebi and their magical bangmangi. Recalling that dokkaebi loved buckwheat jelly, she hatched a plan to get one for herself. She scrimped and saved until the next buckwheat harvest and... Continue Reading →
Meet Dokkaebi – 6
How Foolish People Are! There once was an orphan boy who made his living by working diligently for a local merchant. He never stole nor shorted his master on anything and consequently everyone in town trusted him. One day he went up into the mountains to cut some firewood. He worked until sunset and found... Continue Reading →
Meet Dokkaebi – 5
The Dokkaebi’s Bangmangi and the Two Boys Once there was a boy from a poor family who went out everyday into the forest to chop firewood. He would return to town and sell it to buy a few scraps of food for his family. One afternoon he was out a bit later than usual and... Continue Reading →
Meet Dokkaebi – 4
A Dokkaebi Party Not too long ago there was a small village deep in the country. Like most small villages of that time there was a village head who made sure everyone in the community was connected. If there was a party he made sure all the families knew about it. One moonless night, the... Continue Reading →
Meet Dokkaebi – 3
A Dokkaebi’s Idea of a Good Joke Near a small hamlet there lived a farmer and his family. During the off-season, the farmer would often visit his friends and stay out drinking late. One night, the farmer had one too many drinks but, fearing the consequences of not returning home at all that night, he... Continue Reading →