This Isn't Casper the Friendly Ghost

Hello class,

It is week 10, which means that this journey is almost over for both me and you! 

For our last regular post, I wanted to show you:

Traditional Ghosts of Korea

Korean ghosts are characterized by their death, meaning that they died for a certain reason. Their stories can be explained by Han. Because every ghost has their own story and reason for remaining on Earth, they cannot disappear until their Han is released. The name for Korean supernatural mythology is seolhwa, which means "tales". These tales can be divided into three categories: shinhwa meaning "myth", cheonseol meaning "legend", and mindam meaning "folklore". Most of these ghosts are considered shinhwa. Shin refers to ghosts and monsters. A Gwishin is a ghost or spirit trapped in the living realm because of unfinished business. They cannot move onto the afterlife until this unfulfilled task (Han) is fulfilled (released). 

In today's blog, I will refer to Confucianism, which has cultural influence from China. Korean Confucianism is a belief system that continues to heavily influence the society today in terms of their moral system, way of life, social relations between young and old, hierarchy, and legal system. If you remember what I have written on Korean age and social hierarchy, most of that is based in Confucianism. Many of these ghosts stories are based in Confucianism because their stories are considered guides for people to live their life correctly. Now, let's get into a few of the different types of ghosts!

Myeongdo and Taejoo

These are the ghosts of children who died before the age of 3. Girl ghosts are called myeongdo and boy ghosts are called taejoo. These names are representative of their inability to speak properly since they died so young. People who have seen myeongdo/taejoo ghosts say that they make blowing sounds to try to get your attention. It is believed that they become ghosts because they want to keep living and receive love. Fortunately, it is believed that they still ascend to the afterlife after a certain amount of time.

Mogdal Gwishin

This is the ghost of a man who did not get married in life. He is left with Han because he did not get ancestral rites since he did not married. This ghost could have also died from lovesickness. They are usually harmless to the living, but will cover the heads of those who angered them with a traditional rice filter, which curses the offender to die of disease. 

Cheonyeo Gwishin

This is the ghost of a woman who did not get married. In Confucian Korean tradition, it is the woman's duty to serve her father, husband, and sons. If she dies before being able to do this, she is left with han and is tied to Earth. These ghosts are the most famous and usually seen wearing a white hanbok called "sobok" which is usually worn during death. They also have long black hair because tradition says that single women should always wear their hair tied up. 

These ghosts are said to be very angry and bitter. They haunt the villages and towns of their former families. These ghosts also hate marriage and try to sabotage weddings. If the marriage is successful, they move on to haunt the couple's family, sometimes even causing them harm. If a Cheonyo Gwishin meets a Mogdal Gwishin, they may get married and stop bothering the living. Ancient Shaman rituals can also be held to unite two ghosts so that they stop tormenting the living. 

It is believed that you could prevent an unmarried women from becoming a Cheonyeo Gwishin by burying the body in a place that many people visit or bury the body in male clothes to confuse it. 

Dalgyal Gwishin

These are ghosts of people with no descendants, but what makes them scary is their appearance and what they do to the living. This ghost is called an egg ghost because it is a head and hair without ears, eyes, a nose, or mouth. Some even lack arms and legs! They are said to be the most frightening and dangerous Gwishin. If seen, it is said that people can die instantly, but they are generally considered an omen of death. 

Mul Gwishin

These are the ghosts of people who have drowned. They reside near bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and even bathtubs. You would know if it was a Mul Gwishin if they have wet clothes and super long arms! They are stuck on Earth due to their unexpected death by drowning. These ghosts are thought to grab onto unaware swimmers and drag them underwater using their long arms. Mul Gwishin are never fully seen, only their arms or head have been briefly spotted above the water. 

Mythology

I hope I did not scare anyone with all of this talk about ghosts. I want to remind you all that these are traditional stories passed down through generations and there exists many variations of the same story. They are stories, myths, tales - not based in fact. There are people who believe in ghosts and others who are skeptical. These traditional ghost stories serve as models of behavior designed to guide the Korean people in their actions. There are more kinds of ghosts that represent a punishment for how a person lived their life, but I focused on the more better known ghosts. There are also other entities such as Korea's grim reaper, goblins, shapeshifters, etc. Many Korean dramas have been based on traditional Korean ghosts such as: Oh My Ghostess, Goblin, and Master's Sun. The way they depict mythological creatures in K-Dramas is much more happy and lighthearted! If you're interested in learning about other mythological creatures, I recommend you do a google search because it is really interesting! 

Questions:

Are there any ghosts or ghost stories that are popular in your family? Please explain. 

Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not?

Do you think these ghosts are scary? 


I'm excited for our end of the year celebration!