Lesson 3 Knowing Ourselves, Knowing Others
A Timeless Symbol of Korea
Children around the world learned a bit more about Korean culture when writer Tae Keller published her book When You Trap a Tiger in 2020.
Its story starts with a girl who meets a tiger.
Her grandmother knows the tiger as well.
When her grandmother gets sick, the girl makes a deal with the tiger.
Keller’s inspiration for her award-winning book was an old folktale that her halmoni (grandmother) used to tell her.
It is called “The Sun and the Moon,”and it is about a brother, a sister, and a tiger.
Keller wanted to revive the public’s interest in tigers by writing her own book.
How is the tiger related to Korean culture?
Long ago, tigers were so abundant in Korea that people often called the country the “Land of Tigers.”
It is estimated that tigers lived in Korea for at least 100,000 years.
The first appearance of a tiger in Korean culture dates back to the rock art of the Bronze Age.
It depicts people hunting various animals, including tigers.
Since then, tigers have appeared in many aspects of Korean culture, from legends to art and musical instruments.
Some of you may have heard Korean folktales featuring tigers.
In fact, approximately forty percent of Korean folktales about animals include a tiger.
Tigers in Korean folktales are sometimes shown in a positive light and sometimes as foolish creatures.
For example, in one story, a tiger helps a human become rich after the human saves the tiger’s life.
In another story,
In another story, a tiger hears a mother tell her crying baby, “Don’t cry. Here’s a gotgam.”
Because the baby stops crying, the tiger mistakenly thinks the gotgam is a very scary creature and runs away.
It seems that people at the time had conflicting feelings about tigers.
They had respect for tigers’power and courage.
However, they were also scared of tigers because being injured or even killed by tigers was common in the past.
They may have made tigers into foolish characters in order to be less scared of them.
Tigers in Korea faced a decline in population due to hunting during the Joseon period and nearly went extinct during the Japanese colonial era.
With the disappearance of tigers in Korea, their use as a symbol of the nation faded away.
However, their symbolism was revived in modern times through their selection as the mascot for both Olympics hosted by Korea.
Hodori was the mascot for the Seoul Summer Olympics in 1988.
It was a Siberian tiger, which represents courage.
The PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018 created Soohorang, a white tiger, as its mascot.
White tigers are considered sacred guardians.
Tiger is Coming
Tigers are also mentioned in the K-pop song “Tiger is Coming.”
One verse of the song is a reinterpreted version of “Sugungga,” which is a traditional Korean song.
The song drew worldwide attention, and its video was viewed millions of times online.
These days, only a few wild tigers have been reported to be living in North Korea.
However, the history, stories, and cultural meaning of tigers still have a place among modern Korean people.
Who can deny that the tiger is a symbol of Korea?
In 2021, the National Folk Museum of Korea published a book that collects all the stories about tigers in Korea.
How about looking for tigers around you now?
3과 본문 pdf 다운로드
3과 본문 음원 전체 듣기
