여우 누이

FolktaleKorea · East AsiaLegendFear 6/10

Description

A folktale from the folklore of Korea. The Fox Sister (Korean: 여우 누이; RR: Yeou nui) is a Korean folk tale about the mythical Korean…

The Legend

The story of the Fox Sister (Yeou Nui) is a Korean folktale that has spread throughout the Korean Peninsula. This tale revolves around themes of familial favoritism and fear, beginning with parents who desperately desire a daughter in a household that only has sons. As the youngest daughter reveals her true identity as a fox, incidents occur where livestock begin to die, and the brothers who witness this inform their parents, but they do not believe them. Ultimately, the youngest daughter, transformed into a fox, chases after her brothers, who use a glass bottle given to them by a monk to defeat the fox. During this process, the fox's true identity is revealed, and the brothers mourn their sister's death, wandering aimlessly.

Variants

The story of the Fox Sister is found not only in South Korea but also throughout the Korean Peninsula, with a total of 75 versions existing. Variations include differences in the number of sons the protagonist has or instances where the story begins with the son already having a family. Additionally, the process of the fox extracting the livestock's liver is depicted differently, and there are variations in the shape, color, and throwing order of the glass bottle. Some versions also conclude with the brothers starting a new family after defeating the fox.

This article is based on the Wikipedia article "여우 누이" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia