The Fairy Maiden and the Woodcutter

he Fairy Maiden and the Woodcutter is a traditional Korean folktale whose origins are believed to be quite ancient, as it bears a close relationship to Taoist thought and folk beliefs and has long been widely shared among the people. This work was staged around the poignant scene of the fairy maiden departing while holding her child in her arms.

Long, long ago, there lived a woodcutter in a village who cared devotedly for his elderly mother. One day, while cutting wood in the mountains, he happened to hide a deer that was being hunted. In gratitude, the deer revealed a secret: a pond where heavenly fairy maidens descended to bathe. The woodcutter stole the fairy maiden’s winged robe, married her, and built a life of seeming happiness, eventually having two children together.

However, when the woodcutter later took out the hidden winged robe and returned it to her, the fairy maiden put it on and ascended back to the heavens, taking the two children with her. Desperate to follow, the woodcutter climbed to the sky using a well bucket. Yet, worried about his mother, he rode a heavenly horse back down to the earth—only to fall from the horse and, in that very spot, be transformed into a rooster.

It is a tale woven with longing, devotion, and irreversible choices, reminding us that love, once tested by time and truth, does not always remain where it first took root.

Admiral Yi Sun-sin and the Turtle Ship

Admiral Yi Sun-sin, known posthumously as Chungmugong, is celebrated as a national hero who saved Korea from the brink of collapse during the Japanese invasions of the Imjin War. This conflict was an international war in which Joseon and Ming China allied to repel Japan’s invasions. Beginning in the 25th year of King Seonjo’s reign (1592), Japan launched two major invasions of Joseon, the first breaking out in the year of Imjin, hence the name Imjin War . Admiral Yi personally commanded every battle he fought, achieving an unprecedented record of consecutive victories unmatched in world naval history. His strategies are so renowned that they continue to be studied in naval academies in the United States, Britain, Japan, and beyond. So closely linked are Admiral Yi and the turtle ship ( geobukseon ) that one is often invoked in reference to the other. Even today, a turtle ship is displayed near the statue of Admiral Yi at Gwanghwamun in Seoul. Japanese soldiers once called it mekura bu...

Traditional Hanji Lantern Inspired by a Korean Folktale - Granny Red Bean Porridge and the Tiger

This year’s lantern is a traditional Hanji lantern inspired by one of the most beloved Korean folktales among children: Granny Red Bean Porridge and the Tiger . Once upon a time, deep in the mountains, there lived an old woman who cultivated red beans. She was so skilled at making red bean porridge that people called her “Granny Red Bean Porridge.” One peaceful day, a tiger the size of a house suddenly appeared and threatened to eat her. Granny pleaded, “I don’t mind dying, but if I do, who will make this delicious porridge? Come back in the snowy winter. You can enjoy the porridge then—and eat me if you still want to.” She barely managed to persuade the tiger to leave. Left with no one to turn to, the old woman wept alone. Just then, the items in her home—her carrying frame, a straw mat, an awl, some dung, an egg, and even a softshell turtle—gathered around and told her not to worry. When winter came and the tiger returned on the day of the winter solstice, Granny and her loyal “fri...

The Golden Axe and the Silver Axe

The Golden Axe and the Silver Axe is one of Aesop’s fables, and it is also known by the title Hermes and the Dishonest Woodcutter . This tale is often staged as a scene in which a mountain spirit appears and presents a golden axe and a silver axe. Long ago, in a remote village deep in the mountains, there lived a kind woodcutter. One day, while chopping wood, his hand slipped and his axe fell into a pond. As he stood there, troubled and distressed, a mountain spirit appeared and asked what had happened. After hearing the story, the spirit rewarded the honest woodcutter by giving him both a golden axe and a silver axe as gifts. When a wicked woodcutter heard the news, he came to the same pond and deliberately dropped his own axe into the water. When the mountain spirit appeared again, the wicked woodcutter lied. In the end, he could not even get back his iron axe.

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