KOREAN FOLKTALES

Long ago in a small Korean village, there lived a poor mother and her two children, a brother and a sister. They did not have much, but they loved one another deeply and lived with warm hearts.

One day, the mother went to a nearby village to sell rice cakes. Before leaving, she told her children to stay inside the house and wait for her return. The brother and sister nodded obediently and watched their mother walk down the mountain path.

As evening came, the mother started her journey home. On the way, she met a fierce tiger. The tiger was hungry and blocked her path. Frightened, the mother gave the tiger one rice cake and begged it to let her go. But the tiger only became greedier. It demanded another rice cake, and then another, until there were none left. In the end, the cruel tiger attacked the poor mother and took her place.

Soon, the tiger put on the mother’s clothes and headed toward the children’s house. Standing outside the door, it called out in a rough voice, “Children, open the door. Mother is home.”

But the children were clever. They felt something was wrong. The voice did not sound like their mother’s voice at all. The sister asked, “If you are really our mother, show us your hands.”

The tiger pushed its hairy paw through a crack in the door.

The children gasped in fear. “That is not our mother!” they cried.

Realizing it had been discovered, the tiger grew angry and broke into the house. The brother and sister ran as fast as they could out the back door and up into the mountains. The tiger chased them through the dark forest, its footsteps heavy and terrifying.

At last, the children came to a tall tree and quickly climbed to the top. The tiger arrived below and tried to climb after them. Trembling with fear, the brother and sister looked up at the dark sky and prayed, “Please, if anyone can hear us, save us!”

At that moment, a thick rope came down from heaven.

The children grabbed the rope and were lifted high into the sky, far away from the tiger. When the tiger saw this, it shouted that it wanted a rope too. But instead of a strong rope, a rotten one came down. The tiger clutched it and began to climb, but the rope snapped, and the tiger fell to the ground.

Safe at last, the brother and sister looked down at the world below. The heavens were quiet and bright, but the sister was afraid of the darkness that still covered the earth. Then the brother said, “I will become the sun and light the world during the day.”

The sister replied softly, “Then I will become the moon and watch over the world at night.”

And so the brother became the sun, shining brightly with courage and warmth, while the sister became the moon, glowing gently and peacefully in the night sky.

That is why, according to the old Korean tale, the sun and the moon still watch over the world today.

Moral of the Story

This traditional Korean folktale teaches courage, wisdom, and the power of family love. Even in the face of fear, the brother and sister protected each other and found hope in the darkest moment.

“The Brother and Sister Who Became the Sun and the Moon” is one of Korea’s most beloved traditional folktales. It tells the story of two children who escape danger, rise to the heavens, and become the sun and the moon, bringing light and comfort to the world.

This is a traditional Korean folktale that has been widely passed down throughout Korea, rather than being tied to one specific hometown.