25+ Folklore Dokkaebi

Wikimedia if you watch the world cup you would have definitely seen the devil like goblin face on the banners shirts or even towels of the south korean national football team supporters.

Folklore dokkaebi. The dokkaebi folklore on the other hand talk about them as beings with supernatural powers. But that would not do this creature justice at all because a goblin as we know it is evil and cunning. It includes stories derived from a variety of origins including shamanism confucianism buddhism and more recently christianity. A dokkaebi is a grotesque looking goblin. Mythical creatures often abound in the tales including the korean conception of goblins dokkaebi korean. Although this creature is often seen in traditional folklore and was once believed to be a symbol of an ancient religion these days the dokkaebi is the mascot for the red devils the fanclub of korea s national soccer team.

But for international viewers who aren t well versed in korean culture here are 8 korean folklore and urban legends you should know about to better understand your favourite k drama and movie characters. This goblin is what the koreans call the dokkaebi. It is often represented as a goblin or troll characterized with long sharp teeth horns bulging eyes big mouths hairy bodies long claws and sometimes one legged. Nam which means south in korean is a common last name in south korea. Eun hye is a literal translation of grace and 남 romaja. Dokkaebi or goblins are a large part of korean folklore and can be dated back as far as the silla era but since the early nineteen hundreds dokkaebi have evolved from mysterious and human like creatures to ugly troll like monsters but their powers have always remained the same most commonly they would possess the spirit of inanimate objects such as brooms while taking on their true.

Legends describe different dokkaebi in many forms but dokkaebi often wear hanbok and most. Dokkaebi 도깨비 is a popular mythical creature in korean culture. The lonely and great god is centered around the story of a contemporary dokkaebi who is played by actor gong yoo. The first written story of dokkaebi appeared in the samguk yusa memorabilia of the three kingdoms in the tale lady dohwa and bachelor bihyeong 도화녀 비형랑 which takes place during. Dokkaebi is to koreans as leprechauns are to the irish. Her korean name 은혜 romaja.

The role of dokkaebi in korean folklore can t be overstated let s put it this way. It usually carries 2 special items with it. The closest translation would be that of goblin. From god like dokkaebi to vengeful spirits there s really no limit when it comes to letting their imaginations run wild. The dokkaebi is indeed a fascinating creature unlike the ones from the western culture.