Three Korean Fairy Tales

by Kim So-Un

  The cat called out to the mice to be quiet: “Listen, you mice! In the innermost room of this house there is a cupboard. Inside the cupboard there is a green gem hidden away. Bring me that gem immediately. If you do not, I shall eat your king right on the spot!” The cat made fierce eyes and glared at the mice.

  The mice were all upset, but they quickly answered: “We shall get the green gem for you. Such a task is no trouble at all. We shall bring it right back to you. Please spare our king.”

  Then five or six of the mice, the ones with the strongest teeth, scampered out of the storeroom, and sure enough, before long they came back again with the green gem. As soon as the mice handed the gem over to the cat, she thanked the mice and let the mouse king go. Both the cat and the dog were overjoyed that they had recovered the gem.

  Just then, they heard the old woman’s footsteps. “Now that we have the gem, we have nothing more to do here. Let’s get out of here before the old woman finds us! Let’s go home as fast as we can and make the old man and woman happy,” he said.

  Then, completely forgetting their hunger, the two set off for home.

  The dog and the cat reached the river. The cat put the precious green gem in her mouth and jumped on the dog’s back. The cat slipped a few times, as the dog’s fur was wet and slippery, but finally managed to grasp the dog tightly and stay on his back. The dog began swimming across the river. When they came to a point midway between the banks of the river, the dog thought he felt the cat slipping and began worrying about the precious green gem.

  “Are you all right? Is the green gem safe?” the dog asked, continuing to swim. The cat, of course, could not answer, no matter how much she wanted to, because she had the gem in her mouth. So she remained silent.

  The dog asked again: “Are you sure the gem is safe?” Again the cat was silent.

  The dog became very worried and asked the same question four or five times. But each time, the cat gave no reply. Finally, the dog lost his patience and became angry.

  “Why don’t you answer me?” he shouted rudely. “Can’t you hear me? I’ve asked you over and over again, and you haven’t said a single word in reply.”

  This made the cat angry too. She could keep quiet no longer. She opened her mouth and cried: “Yes! I have it!”

  But as she spoke, the green gem fell out of her mouth and dropped into the river. “Plunk!” The precious gem fell right into the water and sank to the bottom.

  When the dog heard this noise, he suddenly realized what had happened.

  He felt terribly ashamed of his own stupidity. The cat was furious, but the dog felt so bad he couldn’t find words to apologize. As soon as they reached the other side of the river, he quietly slunk away home by himself.

  The cat could not get over her disappointment. They had gone to so much trouble to get back the green gem, and now it lay at the bottom of the river. The cat sat down by the river, filled with regret and annoyance, and pondered what she should do next. How long she sat there, she did not know. And before she realized it, dawn had already broken, and a fisherman came along in his boat to haul in the nets which he had left out all night. The fisherman began taking fish from the net and throwing them into his boat. It was then that he came upon a dead fish caught in his net.

  “This fish is no good. I’ll throw it away,” he said and threw the dead fish up on the river bank as far as he could. The dead fish landed just beside the cat.

  The hungry cat picked it up and was starting to eat it when she noticed a hard bulge in the fish’s throat.

  She opened the fish up to see what the bulge was. It was the green gem which had fallen into the river!

  “The fish must have thought the gem was something to eat,” reasoned the cat, “and swallowed it in one gulp. But the gem was so big that it got stuck.”

  The cat jumped for joy. This time she was not going to lose the gem. She carefully put it in her mouth and hurried home. The old man and the old woman could hardly believe their eyes when they saw their cat carrying the green gem.

  Once again, the gem gave them a fine home. It gave them wheat and red beans. It gave them silver and gold. The old man and woman were happy once more.

  The old man and woman were so overjoyed that the cat had brought back their precious green gem that they praised her over and over again. Out of gratitude, they allowed the cat to come inside the house and to live there from that time forth, eating the best of foods. In fact, the old couple doted on the cat so much that they forgot all about the dog. So he slept in a corner of the yard and ate nothing but leftover food and fish bones.

  Because the cat became the old couple’s favorite, and the dog was neglected, the dog became very jealous of her. From that day on the cat and the dog were enemies. And that is why, even today, cats and dogs are always fighting.

  THE TIGERS OF THE KUMGANG MOUNTAINS

  Many years ago in old Korea, there once lived a very famous marksman and hunter. He was such a fine marksman that he could shoot down a bird in flight, almost without taking aim. Deer and wild boar were no match for this hunter once they entered the sights of his gun. He never missed a shot.

  In those days the Kumgang Mountains were full of tigers. The beasts would come down from the mountains and steal, eating whatever they could find, not just horses and cattle, but people too.

  There was not a single man who could stop them.

  Many hunters set out for the mountains, saying, “I’ll get those tigers.” But none returned. Instead, they became the prey of the tigers of the Kumgang Mountains.

  One day, the famous marksman said: “Now it’s my turn. I will kill every tiger in the mountains.”

  The hunter refused to listen to anyone who tried to hold him back, and he set out to find the tigers.

  At the foot of the mountains he came to a lonely inn.

  The innkeeper saw the hunter and said: “Alas, are you too going to try to destroy the tigers, only to have them eat you up? Listen to what I say. I’m telling you this for your own good. If you value your life, give up this foolish idea.”

  The hunter refused to listen. In his heart, he said proudly: “With my skill, there isn’t a tiger anywhere that can beat me.” Out loud, he said to the woman: “Old woman, just wait and see. I shall come back in a little while, carrying a tiger as big as a mountain on my back.” And, laughing to himself, the hunter continued up into the mountains.

  That was the last time he was ever seen. Five years passed. Ten years went by. But the hunter did not return.

  When the hunter left home, he left behind his newborn son. Now a young man, he had become quite skilled with the gun. In fact, he was almost as good a marksman as his father. The young man knew well why he was fatherless. He had decided long ago that he would shoot and kill the tiger that had eaten his father.

  When he reached his fifteenth birthday, the boy went to his mother and said: “I would like to set out for the Kumgang Mountains. Mother, please let me go.”

  But the mother did not want to lose her son. With tears in her eyes, she tried to stop him: “If even a famous marksman like your father was eaten by the tigers, how can you hope to avenge your father’s death? If you go, you will never return. Quit thinking about such things and stay here by your mother’s side.”

  “Don’t worry, Mother. I will find the tiger who ate my father and avenge his death.” And the son earnestly begged his mother to let him go.

  Finally the mother said: “If you want to go so much, you can. But first let me ask you one thing. Your father used to have me stand with a water jug on my head. He would aim at the handle of the water jug from a distance of 1,000 feet, and shoot only the handle without spilling any water. Can you do the same thing?”

  When he heard this, the young son immediately tried to match his father’s feat. He had his mother stand 1,000 feet away, with a water jug on her head. He took careful aim, but he missed his mark entirely. So he gave up his idea of going to the mountains and practiced three more years wi
th his gun.

  After three years, he tried shooting the jug’s handle again. This time he succeeded in knocking off the handle without spilling a drop of water.

  Then the mother said: “Son, your father was able to shoot the eye out of a needle from 1,000 feet away. Can you do this?”

  The son asked his mother to stand with a needle in her outstretched hand. Then he walked back 1,000 feet and, after aiming carefully, took a shot. But he failed to shoot the eye out of the needle. Once again, he gave up the idea of going to the Kumgang Mountains, and settled down to practice even harder.

  After three years had passed, he tried the same test again. This time, with a crack of his gun, the eye of the needle fell to the ground.

  Of course, his mother had told him a series of lies—hoping that he would give up the idea of going to avenge his father. But now that he was even better than his father, she agreed to let him leave for the Kumgang Mountains. The son was overjoyed and left immediately.

  At the foothills he came across the same small inn where his father had stopped years ago. The same old woman was still living there. She asked the young man what he intended to do. He told her how his father had been eaten by the tigers and how he had practiced for years to avenge his death.

  The old woman then said: “Yes, I knew your father. He was the greatest marksman in all the land. Can you see that tall tree over in the distance? Why, your father used to turn his back to that tree and then shoot down the highest leaf on the highest branch from over his shoulder. If you can’t do the same thing, how can you expect to avenge his death?”

  The hunter’s son, when he heard this, said he would try. He placed his gun over his shoulder, took aim, and shot. But he missed. He knew that this wouldn’t do, and he asked the old woman to let him stay with her for a while.

  From that day on, he practiced shooting over his shoulder, aiming for the highest leaf for hours at a time. Finally, after three years had passed, he was able to shoot down the highest leaf on the highest branch.

  The old woman told the hunter’s son: “That doesn’t mean you can outshoot your father. Why, your father used to set an ant on the side of a cliff and then, from a distance of 1,000 feet, shoot it off without even scratching the surface of the cliff. No matter how fine a marksman you may be, you can’t match that!”

  Again, the young man then tried to do what the old woman said his father had done. Of course, he failed at first and had to practice three more years before he succeeded.

  The old woman had made up stories about his father because she wanted to save the young man. But the hunter’s son, without questioning her, had practiced until he could do whatever she said his father had done. The old woman was filled with amazement and admiration.

  “You are safe now. With your skill, you will surely avenge your father’s death.”

  The old woman made many balls of cooked rice for him to eat along the way. The hunter’s son thanked her and started out along the path leading into the heart of the Kumgang Mountains.

  The young man walked deeper and deeper into the mountains. For days and days he wandered through the wilderness. After all, the Kumgang Mountains have twelve thousand peaks and stretch over a vast area, and he had no means of knowing where the tiger lay hidden. In his heart he kept praying that he would be able to find the beast that had eaten his father, and he continued wandering, without any exact destination, through the vast mountain ranges.

  One day, while the hunter’s son was seated on a big rock taking a rest, a lone priest came up to him and asked: “Excuse me sir. If you have a flint and stone, may I borrow them?”

  The hunter’s son brought out his flint and stone from the leather purse hanging from his belt and handed them to the priest. The priest struck fire with the flint and stone, and lit his tobacco pipe. As he opened his mouth to take the first puff, the young man caught a glimpse inside the priest’s mouth. There he saw sharp fangs such as tigers have.

  “Human beings don’t have such fangs. He must be a tiger in disguise,” the young man thought. Without letting the priest see, he picked up his gun. “But what if he really is a man?” the young man pondered. He hesitated for a moment or two but suddenly felt sure of his suspicion and, raising his gun, let loose a shot at the priest’s breast.

  With a cry, the priest fell to the ground. The young man looked down; instead of a priest, there lay the dead body of a huge tiger.

  After making sure the tiger was dead, the hunter’s son continued along the mountain trail. In a little while he came to an old woman digging potatoes in her potato patch. Since the young man was hungry, he asked: “Old woman, would you please give me a potato?”

  “I haven’t any time to waste,” the old woman replied. “My husband was just killed by a bad man. His soul visited me and said that I must hurry and dig up some potatoes and take them to him to eat. Once he eats these potatoes he will live again. That’s why I have to hurry.”

  “That’s funny,” the young man thought. He looked carefully at the woman’s hands. They were not human hands but the hairy paws of a tiger. The hunter’s son immediately lifted his gun and took aim. Bang! went the gun, and the old woman toppled over and turned into an old she-tiger. The hunter’s son continued on his way. In a short while he came upon a young girl carrying a water jug on her head. The young man was thirsty and said: “Kindly give me a drink of water.”

  The young girl answered: “I’m sorry, but I can’t stop. I’m in a terrible hurry. The souls of my father-in-law and mother-in-law came to me and said they have been killed by an evil person. They asked me to bring them water. I must hurry with this water and give it to them so they can live again.”

  The girl hurried on. From the front she was surely a young girl, but from behind she was a tiger with a long tail. The hunter’s son raised his gun and let fly a shot. Down came not a girl, but a young she-tiger.

  The hunter’s son continued on. Down the road he saw a young man walking hurriedly toward him. The hunter’s son called: “Say, won’t you sit down with me? Let’s exchange talk of our travels.”

  “No, I can’t waste any time. My parents and my wife just came to me in a dream and told me that they have been shot down by a bad man. They asked me to come and offer sacrifices for them. If I delay any longer, it’ll be too late for them to live again.”

  This young man also had a long tail hanging behind him. The hunter’s son immediately raised his gun and shot the man dead. By the time the man’s body hit the ground it had changed into a splendid young tiger.

  The hunter’s son was pleased with himself for having gotten rid of four tigers in such a short time. He felt greatly encouraged and continued on his journey, wondering what lay in store for him next.

  After a short while he saw a gigantic white animal, as big as a mountain, squatting in the distance. It was a huge, huge grandfather tiger that must have been alive for a thousand years.

  The white-haired grandfather tiger opened its great mouth to swallow the hunter. The young man quickly took aim and shot a bullet at the tiger’s mouth. But the tiger did not even blink. The young man kept shooting one shot after another at the tiger. But, each time, the grandfather tiger would clench his teeth, draw back his lips, and let the bullets bounce off his fangs harmlessly. Undaunted, the young man kept shooting.

  But, in the end, he ran out of bullets, and was swallowed in one gulp, gun and all, by the great grandfather tiger.

  The tiger’s throat was one black tunnel. Once the hunter had passed through this tunnel, he came to a vast room as large as a fairground. This was the giant tiger’s stomach. The hunter was surprised to see the scattered bones of people the tiger had eaten.

  He wondered whether he might be able to find the bones of his father and started searching for them. Just as he had thought, he found his father’s bones beside a hunting rifle on which his father’s name was engraved. The son carefully gathered the bones together and lovingly placed them in the bag hanging on his belt. Then he co
ntinued to explore the tiger’s stomach.

  He came upon an unconscious girl who lay huddled in a heap. The young hunter took the girl into his arms and nursed her back to consciousness.

  She looked into his face and thanked him with gratitude. She revealed that she was the daughter of the king’s minister, who was famous in the capital. The girl told him how the old grandfather tiger had stolen her away just the night before, while she was drying her hair on the porch of her home.

  Though hungry and weary, the two talked over their plight and decided to join forces in finding a way out of the tiger’s stomach. They wandered around inside and came to a long empty tunnel. “This must be the tiger’s tail,” he thought.

  The young hunter took a knife from his belt and cut a small peephole near the end of the tiger’s tail. Through it they could see outside. They decided that the girl should stay beside the hole and tell the young man whether the tiger was walking through a field, or up some craggy cliff, or along the seashore. The hunter’s son then started cutting through the walls of the tiger’s stomach. Because the stomach was so thick, he could not make much progress with his small knife. He cut, sawed, scraped, and hacked with all his might. Slowly the hole started to widen.

  At first, the tiger was able to bear his stomach pain. But as it increased, he could not keep still.

  He went to his doctor friend, an old bear, and said: “My stomach hurts terribly. Have you any good medicine?”

  Dr. Bear answered: “That’s nothing to worry about. Just eat a lot of fruit and you’ll soon be well.”

  The tiger started eating apples, cherries, pears, and other kinds of fruit—his stomach became like one giant fruit salad! After all, being the huge animal that he was, the grandfather tiger was not content to eat the fruit. He went into orchards and uprooted trees and swallowed them whole! The girl and the young man joyfully plucked the fruit from the trees swallowed by the tiger and filled their own stomachs. Once they had eaten, they felt much stronger and much more courageous. With renewed zeal, the young man worked at cutting through the tiger’s stomach.