Korean Through Folktales

[Chapter 2] KongJwi And PatJwi 제 2 과 콩쥐와 팥쥐 _______________________ _________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 37 Go t o Table of Contents Korean Through Folktales • A scene from The Story of ShimCheong http://goo.gl/o0Bnqk 선녀 is associated with awestruck beauty. In most picture book folktales, 선녀 is depicted wearing a celestial robe with wide sleeves that allows them to descend to the human world and ascend back to their land. Two circular braids are another notable feature of 선녀 , as you can see in the images from the links above. The world they live in is called 선경 , a mysterious and supernatural place where 신선 , the hermit with mysterious power, resides. The celestial beings, 선녀 and 신선 , transcend the limitations of humans. Several famous folktales have them at the center of the plot, such as 선녀와 나뭇군 The Fairy and The Woodcutter and 금도끼 은도끼 The Gold Ax and The Silver Ax . In some other folktales, they appear to rescue the main character when s/he is in desperate need of help, as in the story you are about to read, 콩쥐와 팥쥐 . 3) 계모 Stepmother There are several words for ‘stepmother’ in Korean: 계모 , 의붓어머니 , 의모 , and 새어머니 (which literally means ‘new mother’). Among the four terms, 계모 in particular is often associated with negative connotations. In Korean culture, there used to be some prejudice toward the relationship between the stepmother and the stepchildren, and it was often perceived to be uncomfortable or in conflict. The stepmothers in two very well-known folktales are portrayed as mean-spirited, ill-intentioned, and cruel. One is the story introduced in this chapter, 콩쥐와 팥쥐 KongJwi And PatJwi , and the other is 장화홍련 Janghwa-Hongryeon (a.k.a Janghwa and Hongryeon ). * 장화홍련 Janghwa-Hongryeon is famous not only as a folktale, but also for the title of an award-winning horror movie which was based in part on the folktale. The movie with the English title A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) earned acclaim from critics in the West and the success resulted in a remake of the movie in America, ‘The Uninvited’ (2009).