Koreans in the past always looked for propitious sites when they were in search for a house, or especially when they wanted to find a good gravesite, which is the eternal home of a person. The dragon on the left, and the tiger on the right were symbol of such a propituos site. When such a painting was hung in the front door it would guard against evil. The tiger was believed to eliminate the three disasters (flood, fire, and wind) and other misfortunes, while the dragon was believed to bring the five blessings (longevity, health, wealth, virtue, and a peaceful death).
Howeve most "hodo", paintings (of tigers) seem to refer to old stories. Most Koreans grow up hearing these stories that are sometimes funny, and sometimes scary.
Among them ( I think the story depicted in this painting) one tells about a goodhearted woodcutter who encountered a tiger that had fallen into a deep puddle in the thick, wild forests. The tiger begged the woodcutter to save his lifeand offered to grant him a wish. But, once the tiger was freed, it attempted to eat the woodcutter. The stunned woodcutter asked an ox that was passing by to be the judge of the matter.
"Oh tiger, eat the woodcutter. After all he's a human being. Humans are really bad. They make oxen work day in and day out. And when the ox becomes too old for any kind of labour, they kill and eat them. So, go ahead, eat the woodcutter" said the ox.
The woodcutter then asked the pine tree for his opinion, but ended up getting the same harsh judgement.
Finally, the troubled woodcutter asked the magpie to be the judge. The wise magpie told the tiger to go back in the puddle so that he could gather evidence for a just and fair judgement. And so, the woodcutter whose life was in danger was saved by the wise magpie. The magpie, who punished the ungreatful tiger, began to build nests in the homes of people and became an auspicious symbol. That is why the clever magpie often appears on paintings of tigers. Usually the magpie is perched on a pine tree, from the safety of which he can easily scold the angry tiger.
For the most part, tigers are depicted as friendly characters from Korea's past. Koreans have long worshipped the tiger. That may be why Korea was known in China as "Hodamjiguk" (The country that speaks with tigers). For a very long time, the tiger - the king of the beasts and defender of peace- has been admired as a close friend by Koreans.
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2 comments:
Koreans in the past always looked for propitious sites when they were in search for a house, or especially when they wanted to find a good gravesite, which is the eternal home of a person. The dragon on the left, and the tiger on the right were symbol of such a propituos site. When such a painting was hung in the front door it would guard against evil. The tiger was believed to eliminate the three disasters (flood, fire, and wind) and other misfortunes, while the dragon was believed to bring the five blessings (longevity, health, wealth, virtue, and a peaceful death).
Howeve most "hodo", paintings (of tigers) seem to refer to old stories. Most Koreans grow up hearing these stories that are sometimes funny, and sometimes scary.
Among them ( I think the story depicted in this painting) one tells about a goodhearted woodcutter who encountered a tiger that had fallen into a deep puddle in the thick, wild forests. The tiger begged the woodcutter to save his lifeand offered to grant him a wish. But, once the tiger was freed, it attempted to eat the woodcutter. The stunned woodcutter asked an ox that was passing by to be the judge of the matter.
"Oh tiger, eat the woodcutter. After all he's a human being. Humans are really bad. They make oxen work day in and day out. And when the ox becomes too old for any kind of labour, they kill and eat them. So, go ahead, eat the woodcutter" said the ox.
The woodcutter then asked the pine tree for his opinion, but ended up getting the same harsh judgement.
Finally, the troubled woodcutter asked the magpie to be the judge. The wise magpie told the tiger to go back in the puddle so that he could gather evidence for a just and fair judgement. And so, the woodcutter whose life was in danger was saved by the wise magpie. The magpie, who punished the ungreatful tiger, began to build nests in the homes of people and became an auspicious symbol. That is why the clever magpie often appears on paintings of tigers. Usually the magpie is perched on a pine tree, from the safety of which he can easily scold the angry tiger.
For the most part, tigers are depicted as friendly characters from Korea's past. Koreans have long worshipped the tiger. That may be why Korea was known in China as "Hodamjiguk" (The country that speaks with tigers). For a very long time, the tiger - the king of the beasts and defender of peace- has been admired as a close friend by Koreans.
i like these. interesting how each culture forms its own stories, myths, etc.
i wonder if korea has often felt itself to be the wise little magpie contending with the japanese and chinese tigers?
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