Korea
The bulgasari, the monster that eats iron ↗
Made from a pinch of rice and fed on sewing needles, the bulgasari grew until it swallowed every scrap of iron in the kingdom. Meet Korea's unkillable iron-eating beast.
LANTERN MYTHS
Meet the creatures.
A closer look at the characters who make these stories unforgettable.
Korea
Gumiho, huli jing and kitsune, the fox spirits of Korea, China and Japan ↗
Korea, China and Japan all tell stories of foxes that live for centuries, grow extra tails and take human form. They are cousins, not twins. Here is how the three fox spirits compare.
Korea
The gumiho ↗
The nine-tailed fox of Korean folklore, a shapeshifter who can take the form of a beautiful woman, and the most famous monster in Korean storytelling.
Korea
Gwisin, the ghosts of Korea ↗
Why do Korean ghosts linger? Meet the maiden ghost in white, the lonely bachelor ghost and the wandering dead, and learn what Korean tradition says they want.
Korea
The haetae ↗
A lion-like guardian with a single horn, said to know right from wrong. The haetae watches over Gyeongbokgung Palace, protects against fire, and is the official symbol of Seoul.
Korea
The dokkaebi ↗
Korea's goblins are noisy, playful, easily fooled and sometimes generous. Born from old brooms and broken pots, they wrestle travellers, love a party and can make you rich, if you're lucky.
Korea
The imugi and the Korean dragon ↗
In Korea, a great serpent that waits a thousand years in deep water can become a dragon, if it wins the magic pearl. Meet the imugi, the yong, and the dragons of Korean kings, rain and the sea.
Korea
The tiger, king of the Korean mountains ↗
Feared as a man-eater, worshipped as a mountain god, mocked in folktales as a gullible fool. Meet the tiger, the animal at the very heart of Korean folklore.
Korea
The jeoseung saja, Korea's grim reapers ↗
When a life ends, the messengers of the underworld come to collect the soul. Meet the jeoseung saja, the figures in black who inspired K-dramas, films and the Saja Boys.
Korea
The moon rabbit, the jade rabbit of the Korean moon ↗
Look at the full moon and Koreans will tell you there is a rabbit up there, pounding away under a tree. Meet the jade rabbit, from Goguryeo tomb paintings to Korea's best-loved children's song.