The tale of Heungbu and Nolbu

Nationality: South Korean
Age: 27
Occupation: PHD Student, Electrical Engineering
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Language: English

Informant: “Nolbu is the older brother. Heungbu is the younger one. Although they are family, Nolbu makes more money and is very greedy. His success puts Heungbu in a bad situation financially. On the other hand, Heungbu is a good person who tries to help other people. So, Heungbu goes to Nolbu’s house to get some rice since he is poor. But Nolbu slaps his face with a spoon and refuses to give him any rice. Nolbu is then going back to his home and sees a bird being attacked by a snake. He tries to save the baby bird by healing its broken leg. Heungbu cures him and lets the bird go. The bird comes back with a seed. A Calabash seed. When the Calabash is grown, he cuts it open and finds tons of gold and money, so Heungbu becomes rich. Nolbu hears his brother became rich by helping the bird, so he breaks a healthy bird’s leg to cure it. The bird then goes to Nolbu’s house and gives him the same seed. But when Nolbu cuts open the Calabash, goblins come out and bite him and take all his money.”

Context: The informant heard this story from his older siblings and claims that it is a common story in Korea. He compared this story to the American story of the tortoise and the hare, saying that it is frequently told to young children like the story of the tortoise. He believes the story is designed to teach kids to avoid greed and help others out of the kindness of their heart rather than to receive something in return. The informant is from South Korea and says that this story has been passed down from generation to generation, mostly orally.

Analysis: I think this tale expresses some cultural and moral values that parents likely wanted to pass down to their kids. The story is relatively simple, with clear moral signals presented throughout, likely to help drive home the point to a young audience. The story clearly puts an emphasis on the idea that kindness can not be (or should not be) faked for personal gain. It also serves to teach children that bad actions can come back to bite you, even if you think you’re tricking the system. Lastly, the story teaches children to be kind, paradoxically, by telling them they will be rewarded for it only if that act of kindness is genuine and not in pursuit of a reward.

A Demonic Presence

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Occupation: Construction Science Student
Residence: College Station, Texas
Language: English

Informant: “One time, I experienced something I think was supernatural. I was over at my girlfriend’s ranch, and I had a really bad dream. In my dream, it felt like there was some kind of evil or demonic presence. I was able to cast it away and thought nothing of it until my girlfriend mentioned she had a similar dream that morning. I forgot about the dream, and later, I stayed at that ranch again, and I didn’t even remember the prior time. Anywho, my girlfriend and I were hanging out, but for some reason, she commented that she thinks something is in here with us. Weirdly, I was thinking the exact same thing. It was the same room I had that dream in. Man, I never get scared of anything, but that night, I was scared. My skin was crawling. We talked about it for a while, and eventually, the feeling faded.”

Me: “Do you think there was really some kind of evil presence that day?”

Informant: “Maybe. It’s hard to say. The dream felt so real, and what are the chances that my girlfriend had the same one? If I had to guess, I’d say it was a demon. I know you don’t see it the same way, but that stuff is out there. All I know is God protected me that day.”

Context: The informant is a devout Christian, and he recounted to me a time he believes he felt a supernatural presence. Both memorates happened at the same ranch house, and he thinks the supernatural entity in question may somehow be connected to that house, but that God has protected himself and his girlfriend’s family because they all believe in God.

Analysis: Having grown up in the same culture, I can say that many Christians have been taught to look out for the devil. I find it very likely that the informant’s religion caused him to read into a weird, potentially supernatural event as a demonic presence or evil. We went to the same school, and had teachers who told similar stories of encountering a demonic presence. What stood out to me about this particular story, though, was that my friend believes he, in some way, cast the demon away, at least the first time. I think this speaks to a deeper belief he holds that he is, at his core, a follower of God and that God is with him always. Whatever really happened on those two nights, supernatural or not, this belief allowed him to make sense of the situation and move forward without fear. I believe this memorate offers an amazing look into how my friend sees the world and the values that are important to him. It’s not important for him to frame the negative presence as demonic, or even as strictly real, but he made sure that I knew that his belief in God was what got him out of it.

Appalachian Asylums and the Goatman

Nationality: American
Age: 24
Occupation: Writer
Residence: Los Angeles
Language: English

Informant: “So, in Frederick Marlyand, Western Marlyand near the Appalachians, there’s a lot of remote towns. Especially back in the 1920s, there used to be a lot of quote unquote insane asylums out there. Basically, there was one out in Frederick, and after it had been shut down, it was overgrown. The building was abandoned there, so kids would go explore. Legends cropped up about people who had been left behind, including some doctors who did experiments on the patients. You know kids and their imaginations. However, there were apparently sightings of a goat man. Like a satyr but the other way around. Goat head, but with the lower body of a man. They said the goat man was a doctor who worked there who did all these crazy experiments on people and then did experiments on himself after he had no people to experiment on. There’s a lot of other stories I heard when I lived there, but the goat man always stood out to me as one of the more believable ones.”

Me: “Do you believe it?”

Informant: “I know the asylum is real. The building itself is 100% real. You’ll find them all over that area. I’ve never seen the goat man, but I will say when I hiked there, you could see why people would think they’re real. I was out there by myself once, waiting for my group to find me, and I felt this dread that was so palpable. No one was there, but I can understand how your mind would play tricks on you. The Appalachians are scary alone. I’m a sceptic, but never say never. Anytime someone told a story about the goat man, it’s like, ya know, who am I to say it didn’t happen?”

Context: The informant said they have heard hundreds if not thousands of these stories while living near the Appalachian mountains. They are an avid hiker and interested in folklore, so it makes sense they would have heard so many. He seems to look at the story of the goatman as mostly for fun. Something kids joke about. However, it is clear that they think there is some validity to the supernatural nature of the Appalachian mountains.

Analysis: Something I discussed with the informant is how these kinds of stories are likely a manifestation of the remoteness when living in such an area. With so much wildlife, untouched forest, and no other people around, it’s easy to read into things. I believe these stories are a reflection of that environment. Rather than revealing something about the culture, I would say these stories reveal a lot more about the way our mind fills in the gaps when left on its own. Something else we discussed was the “not-deer” and how easy it would be to get freaked out by a deer standing on its hind legs if you’ve been alone in the forest for days. It is easy to see how these stories propagate in such a remote area.

The Origins of Holi

Nationality: Indian
Age: 27
Occupation: Electrical Engineer
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Language: English

Informant: “This is the story behind Holi. It’s a festival we celebrate in India, but this is the story of why we do it. A long time ago there was an evil king called Hiranyakashipu. He was a tyrant with a very devout son. His son was quite upset with his father’s rule, so he more or less disagreed with him and set out to do better. The king didn’t like that, so he tried to kill him. He tried a few ways to kill him, but what’s important for this story is he tried to use his sister (holica) and her fire proof garments. She took the king’s son and sat in a burning fire, but his devotion saved him and burned the woman. Because of the son’s devotion, Vishnu sent someone to kill the king. That’s the story as I remember. There’s more to it that I don’t have a great memory of, but that’s how I would explain Holi.”

Me: “What do you think the story means aside from explaining Holi?”

Informant: “It’s just a story about devotion and victory of good over evil.”

Context: The informant is from India and says he has heard the story from a lot of people but mostly remembers how his parents tell it. The myth serves to explain why Hindu people celebrate Holi, which is the festival of colors, love, equality, and spring. Additionally, according to my research and the informant, the festival celebrates the victory of good over evil and is a direct commemoration of Vishnu’s victory over the king, Hiranyakashipu.

Analysis: This myth clearly serves to explain the festival Holi and also reveals some relatively basic values about the culture behind it. The story upholds devotion as a very desirable trait and goes so far as to paint it as something that can protect you from everything. At first, I figured there must be more to the story than “just a story about victory of good over evil”, but my research seems to confirm that my roommate was accurate in his description. However, I did find that some of the myth that was left out makes this story of devotion more compelling. Hiranyakashipu’s son was put through immense suffering and remained devout through it all. After reading more, this myth reminds me a bit of the story of Job in the bible. It seems to be making the case that devotion must be maintained at all costs and that god will make all right in the end.

Folktale: Tale of Two Tengu

Date of Performance: 04/01/2025

Nationality: Japanese

Primary Language: English

Residence: Manila, Philippines

My informant, who is half-Japanese, recounts to me a folktale from a children’s book his parents would read to him as a child. The story revolves around two Tengu, Japanese supernatural creatures who resemble demons, their most notable feature being their long noses, which can extend and retract at will. The tale begins as one Tengu, sitting atop a mountain far from civilization, extends his nose to extreme lengths until it reaches a farming village. The people of the village don’t know what it is, but the daughter of the village’s head uses his nose to hang her expensive laundry, leaving several kimonos on it. When the Tengu retracts his nose, he discovers them, and is overjoyed at his good luck – he is then met with jealousy from his friend, another Tengu, who, watching his success, extends his own nose to the village. Instead of expensive clothes, however, when he does so, he gets nothing but bruises and welts, as the children of the town have used his nose as a plaything, climbing, hitting, and toying with it. He retracts his nose, and much to his dismay, has received nothing for his jealousy but bad fortune.

My informant tells this story with a humorous tone – this was his favorite story growing up – and explains its message as “pretty simple”, probably created as a cautionary tale against the pitfalls of envy. He says it aligns with similar Japanese folktales that preach humility, that portray characters who, out of greed, try to replicate the good fortunes of others at their own expense.

My interpretation of this story is quite similar – I think it reflects the cultural and social values prioritized by a community oriented society like Japan. Mirroring its traditionally Buddhist, antimaterialist cultural history, the emphasis on admonishing qualities such as greed and envy make sense. Interestingly, after researching the story further, I found it to be quite unique – it can be traced back exclusively to one storybook (likely the one my informant was shown as a child), the author of which claims the tale has been passed down in their family. Like my informant, the author is part-Japanese, and as some note the Tengu’s description in the story as having unusual, foreign qualities, and so I believe it is likely to have been corrupted from another older tale into something more reflective of the author’s personal background and heritage.