Korean stories are quite a novelty for Western readers, since well-known motifs of European and Arabian folktales are absent. Furthermore, it is not easy to render tales from far countries in such a way that they are immediately understandable to an English reading public. The translator has to be an interpreter of cultural concepts, at the same time making explicit and explaining through the text many ideas that are taken for granted by the people themselves. Consequently, I will present these tales without analysis, so as not to prejudice the reader's response to them. The tales included here are derived from tales I have collected but are retold in a form that renders them new and original.

In a later publication I hope to discuss the wonderful national legends of Korea, tales of the famous king Grandfather Tangun, who was the son of the god of heaven and a she bear, or so the tradition narrates; and of the ancestor of Shang, who was born from a swallow’s egg.

The Goddess

Many years ago there lived a young scholar who had read books about the marvelous beauty of Gwan Eum Bosal, the goddess of mercy. He longed for nothing more than to see her once in her real form. So he spent many days in meditation, concentrating his spirit entirely on the expectation of the goddess. At last, after chanting many prayers, he had a dream in which an old man told him: “Go and find the village of Mol Golong. There you will meet a man called Hai Myung Bang. Ask him where you may find the holy goddess.”

Elated, the young man woke up and immediately set off on his quest. After walking for many days he finally found the village in Gang Wun Province and met Hai Myung Bang. Mr. Hai told him that in a certain valley in the Yang Goo Mountains he would find a cottage, and there he would see the beauty he was looking for.

After many hours of climbing our young friend approached a house that fitted the description he had heard. As he approached the cottage, a girl came out. She was so beautiful that he could not speak. He just stood and stared at her.

She smiled and spoke: “You must be careful, for my father is a man of rough manners. If he does not like you, he will throw you down the hill. As soon as you see him, ask for my hand in marriage. He will not harm his son-in-law.”