Monstrum

- Monsters are meant to be scary, right?

It's kind of their deal.

So why is Korea's most well-known monster not all that frightening.

Dokkaebi can cause misfortune or make you rich, but rarely is fear used to teach a lesson or make a point.

And the Dokkaebi are certainly having a moment thanks to "KPop Demon Hunters."

This modern interpretation shares qualities with its ancient predecessors.

They are brutish in appearance and possess immense supernatural power.

In the film, the Dokkaebi used their power of illusion to turn themselves into humans and cause chaos.

But the Dokkaebi of the past used their goblin like temperament and abilities to test humans ingenuity and moral character.

So why was Korea's most famous monster traditionally not that scary?

And how did it go from magic wielding to the evil demons depicted in "KPop Demon Hunters"?

(dramatic music begins) The global phenomenon of "KPop Demon Hunters" shines a spotlight on Korean mythology and the most common demons the heroes hunt in the movie are Dokkaebi.

Historically, the Dokkaebi forms generally look like the monsters we see today and come in a variety of physical characteristics.

Some are short and broad, while others are scrawny.

Some of them just have one eye.

Similarities include pointed ears, sharp claws, pronounced teeth, and strange skin tones.

In common with their folkloric roots, the modern interpretation of the goblin-like spirits isn't locked into a single form.

They're just as likely to disguise themselves as ordinary humans to slip undetected into everyday life.

But Dokkaebi are, how do I say this nicely?

Charmingly gullible, which leaves the door open for the female members of the pop idle group Huntrix to foil the Dokkaebi spirits hiding in plain sight.

It's a flashy, modern twist to a monster deeply rooted in Korean history.

They're easily tricked, and humans get annoyed with them pretty quickly.

Historically, they can take the form of an inanimate object.

Some people claim that when a spirit occupies an object, usually one that is worn out and old, the object influences the Dokkaebi monster's appearance.

In one popular example, after the creature inhabits a broom, it only has one leg.

Inanimate objects that have been stained with blood are particularly common places for them to inhabit, and those often have red faces.

They're not true shapeshifters, but instead are able to create a sort of elaborate illusion.

In their true monster form, Dokkaebi are hairy and fanged with massive bulging eyes.

Most have one or two horns, and beware, these physical traits begin to transfer to humans they interact with who, as you can imagine, don't love the idea of looking like an actual monster.

In some tales, the sudden appearance of fire, which manifests as a blue flame or a glittering light, is a sign that the Dokkaebi are nearby.

The earliest written record of Dokkaebi shows up in a collection of Korean history, religion, and literature compiled by a Buddhist monk in the 13th century.

The "Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms" represents a much, much longer oral history, and includes multiple mentions of the Dokkaebi, portraying them as monsters, but not evil.

One story that includes them goes back to around the sixth century.

While the Dokkaebi in "KPop Demon Hunters" are imagined as monstrous adversaries, a clear and present threat to the heroes, this portrayal differs from their ancient roots, where Dokkaebi aren't always predator-like.

Dokkaebi are traditionally believed to possess immense supernatural powers.

In some traditions, they can bless humans with good harvest, abundant catches, and great fortune, even acting as protectors against evil spirits.

Yet depending on the region, folklore also warns that Dokkaebi may cause misfortune, bringing fires or spreading disease.

So why were they sometimes harmful, but could also bring good fortune?

For most of Korea's history, people lived in farming communities, particularly vulnerable to swings of fate that could bring droughts, floods, and famine.

The Dokkaebi's personality mirrors this reality where fortune could bless or curse you overnight, and their existence might help explain if someone had preternatural abilities or talents, or a sudden windfall.

It could be that the Dokkaebi are helping them out.

They're legends of Dokkaebi building reservoirs to provide humans with more stable fishing waters.

In this way, the Dokkaebi are a cultural reflection of life's uncertainty.

It was a reminder that prosperity and disaster were never far apart.

In many tales, the Dokkaebi's supernatural powers include magical items, some sport a magical hat that renders them invisible.

But their most popular accessory is a magic club, kind of like a magical wand.

It can turn anything into gold, and or stretch out your body parts uncomfortably, but that's less fun.

In a story first recorded in the ninth century, a kind woodsman harvesting ginkgo nuts for his family seeks shelter overnight from a storm in a remote cabin.

He finds himself awoken by a raucous Dokkaebi party.

Each monster has a club that makes food and drink miraculously appear.

The woodsman, faced with an unexpected opportunity, steals one of the clubs and carries it home, becoming a wealthy man.

The woodsman finds he is rewarded for seizing an opportunity of fortune to provide for his family.

But when a selfish neighbor attempts to steal the club, the Dokkaebi attack.

Confucianism has been an important and influential aspect of Korean culture for hundreds of years.

And the Dokkaebi stories are often read through the lens of this philosophy.

Confucianism is less about god's or an afterlife and more about how humans should live well together.

It stresses order and respect.

Confucianism teaches the value of good deeds that will bring fortune, while bad character leads to downfall.

Moral codes from Confucianism are interpreted in stories of the Dokkaebi, for instance, the story of the two wood cutters is a warning against greed that comes from a place of selfishness and emphasizes the responsibilities younger generations have for their family, which are important Confucian values.

Notably, Dokkaebi are not particularly intelligent, and it's easy to trick them.

This is a surprisingly important element to the legend.

In Korean tradition, cleverness and intelligence are highly valued, and outwitting a Dokkaebi was a key to defeating it.

In one story, a desperate widow in need of money decides to try her luck with a Dokkaebi.

Knowing that they supposedly love buckwheat jelly, she uses the last of her funds to purchase a massive amount of buckwheat.

She makes the jelly and sets a bowl outside, then waits.

It was gone the next day.

She continues to put out bowls of jelly, luring the monster closer and closer until he's forced to come to her doorstep.

The next night, she asks the Dokkaebi to join her inside for a feast.

Driven by hunger and her innocent pleading, he obliges.

The following day, they dine together again.

But this time he rewards her for her kindness with a pouch of jewels and coins, returning every few days until the widow was very rich and very bored of the Dokkaebi.

She hatches a plan to stop his visits.

Dokkaebi don't like blood or horse heads, so she smears horse blood all over her gate and places a decapitated head outside.

After discovering the grizzly trophy, the Dokkaebi never returns.

The widow was able to provide a comfortable living for herself with some ingenuity, a bit of risk, and good hospitality.

Again, all admirable traits to have.

After World War II and liberation from Japan, the Korean government banned outside media and cultural imports.

An act primarily aimed at curtailing Japanese influence.

Despite that effort, comics and films depicting Japanese Oni found their way into South Korean culture, where Oni inspired representations of Dokkaebi influenced children's books, manga and anime.

The Oni look similar to the Dokkaebi, horned with brightly colored skin and two long teeth.

They're associated with punishment, disease and even death.

So perhaps the Oni legend influenced the Dokkaebi lore, making them a little more sinister.

Though some folklores are divided on that.

While they may look similar, the Oni are cruel, unlike the feisty and relatively harmless Dokkaebi.

South Korean pop culture has increasingly been inspired by supernatural and folklore based narratives, which is one of the reasons why video games, musicals, films, children's books, and TV series incorporating Dokkaebi are everywhere, many of which engage in social critique.

In the popular 2016 South Korean drama, "The Lonely and Great God," a handsome and helpful 900 plus year old Dokkaebi enters into a doomed relationship with a human who can communicate with ghosts and other spirits.

It honors Korean history while speaking to modern problems, like in "KPop Demon Hunters", where the challenges of fitting in and finding one's true identity are explored through human and non-human characters.

The filmmakers stated that they wanted to showcase Korea and its impressive array of folklore and mythology, and the Dokkaebi are part of the troupe of otherworldly creatures that explain the movie's backstory.

It's both an homage and an invitation to learn more.

The shift from agents of wealth or misfortune to monsters in "KPop Demon Hunters" demonstrates the adaptable nature of the Dokkaebi legend.

But the biggest takeaway, Dokkaebi embodies embracing unpredictability, humor, and resilience.

Something we could all probably do with a little more of.

Thanks for watching.