#korean mythology

Korean ghouls part 2 (part 1 here) but this time including some folklore/urban legend spooks, so ghouls and more!

빨간마스크 - Red Mask Lady

A women who looks normal until she takes off her face mask and reveals her slit cut mouth. If you meet her she will take off her mask and ask “Am I beautiful?” if you say no she gives you a slit mouth out of anger, but if you say yes she’ll give you a slit mouth so you can be beautiful too. The trick is to confuse her and gives a vague answer to get just enough time to run away.

인면견 - Human-faced Dog

Supposedly a curse to a human for leading a life of sin. There have been several witnessed accounts of them where someone hears someone talking but then once they discover it was a 인면견 it then runs away never to be seen again.

엘리베이터 살인마 - Elevator Killer

The story goes that a man and women take the elevator together and he is getting off right before her floor. Everything seems fine and he is very nice until it reaches his floor and he pulls out a knife and smiles saying “I’ll see you upstairs” and runs up the stairs. The women is helpless to just wait until it reaches her floor and him waiting for her.

화장실귀신 - Toliet Ghost

A ghost that emerges in bathroom while youre on the toliet and asks if youll use red or blue toilet paper. If you choose red, the ghost will cut you open. If you choose blue the ghost will suffocate you. 

In the spirit of Halloween heres some different Korean ghouls, ghosts and spooks!

귀신 - Ghost/Spirt

귀신 dead people who are trapped on earth because of some kind of revenge, or unfinished business on earth.

• 처녀귀신 - Virgin Ghost - women with long black hair covering their face
• 물귀신 - Water Ghost - drags you into water so you share the same fate
• 달걀귀신 - Egg Ghost - face is like an egg, smooth and featureless

도깨비 - Goblin

도깨비 are nature deities or spirits possessing extraordinary powers, strength and abilities to interact with humans. They often play pranks on humans or punish them but there are different types from mischievous to dumb, so it can depend on the story sometimes. Also popularly depicted as the main character in the kdrama Goblin (쓸쓸하고 찬란하神 – 도깨비).

구미호 - Nine-Tailed Fox

구미호 is seen in korean, japanese and chinese mythology. A fox that lives a thousand years turns into a 구미호 giving it power to freely transform typically into a beautiful woman to seduce men and eat their liver or heart. 구미호 is very popular depicted in various media in, most popularily Naruto, the kdrama My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox, and the League of Legends character Ahri.

저승사자 - Korean Grim Reaper

저승사자 is always depicted in human form wearing a black hanbok and traditional Korean black hat. The job of a 저승사자 is to guide newly deceased souls to the afterlife not to kill or judge the deceased. They often appear before someones time of death and lingering outside places where lots of death has occurred. 

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh was such a delightful little fantasy story, lush with magic and Korean mythology

Highly recommend this if you’re looking for some immaculate vibes ✨

There is this Korean mythical creature called the Bulgasari. A grieving widow breathed life to a rice doll made from her leftover meal, the beast being small it only fed on iron and steel. The more it consumed the bigger it grew and soon there were not enough weapons in the land for the Bulgasari to chew.