Imugi Legend

AGE: 45

Date of performance: 04/01/2025

Language: English

Nationality: South Korean 

Occupation: Teacher 

Primary Language: Korean/English 

Title- Imugi  

Context- J tells me about the legend of “imugi”, which were believed to be giant serpents that want to be dragons but have to live to be 1,000 years before becoming one. In order to become a true dragon, they must be 1,000 years old and obtain a pearl of power. J says that imugi can either be nice, or come off as mean due to frustration of not being fulfilled. 

Analysis- Legends are a part of the narrative genre of folklore that may or may not be true. The legend of imugi in Korean culture can be equated with legends such as Loch Ness monster or seeing aliens—the likelihood of the stories being true is low, but people continue to believe and carry the legend on due to its cultural significance. Dragons are seen as wise beings in East Asian culture, and imugis are a level inferior to dragons. Koreans also use imugi to reference someone who hasn’t reached their full potential yet.

Dangun Myth

AGE: 45

Date of performance: 04/01/2025

Language: English

Nationality: South Korean 

Occupation: Teacher 

Primary Language: Korean/English 

Title- Dangun Myth 

Context- J shares with me the “Dangun Myth”, a Korean myth that explains the origin of the founder of the first Korean kingdom, Dangun. J says that it is believed Dangun’s father descended from heaven while his mother was a bear that succeeded in a challenge to stay in a cave for 100 days to become human. 

Analysis- Within folklore, there are 3 narrative genres that share similar characteristics with one another. One of which are myths—sacred truths that are miracles if they touch reality. Myths typically describe life before or after the real world, just as the Dangun Myth does. The Dangun Myth describes the origin of Korea’s ‘official’ leader while having fantastical elements such as a bear-woman and god of heaven. The Dangun Myth exhibits characteristics of a typical folk myth.

Haunted Apartment Complex

Nationality: American
Age: 53
Occupation: Escrow Officer
Residence: Orange County, California
Language: English

STORY:

“I used to live in an apartment complex that was supposedly haunted. I guess there was a stabbing there, with some guy stabbing his wife. I don’t remember if the stabbing happened or not, but I had neighbors who would say that they would see the wife walking in the halls. They said she must be searching for her husband so she could get revenge. I never saw anything, but my neighbors swore they did.”

CONTEXT:

The informant heard this legend when she was younger. She lived in a lower-income apartment complex, which she stated did not have very well kept infrastructure. She heard this legend mainly from neighborhood kids, and she has never double checked if a stabbing had actually occurred.

ANALYSIS:

This legend is an example of an injustice haunt. Many ghost stories originate from an injustice being committed against someone or many people. In this case, a woman was murdered and now she is dedicated to getting revenge on her killer. These stories come about due to people’s desire to see justice for an atrocity, and this is no different. The location being a lower-income apartment complex also adds to the legend. There is an element of systemic neglect that would drive people to focus more on spiritual concerns that they can have more influence over. When people feel neglected by the present world, as the rundown complex would imply, they tend to embrace spirituality which is an area they may feel heard. This ghost story could be a component of this.

Ghost at The Casino

Nationality: American
Age: 24
Occupation: Client Relationship Specialist
Residence: Orange County, California
Language: English

STORY:

“So when I worked at The Casino, we all believed the place was haunted. Chairs and stuff would just fall over after we stacked them, and we would hear like weird noises and creaking too. And it wasn’t just us who thought it was haunted too. We would have customers say something too while planning their wedding. And like the other employees who worked there before me would say so to any new hire.”

CONTEXT:

The Casino is a very old venue in San Clemente that the informant worked at when she was a teenager. She had several strange experiences that aligned with the building’s supposed haunting.

ANALYSIS:

This legend has a few traits that align with literature about ghost legends. First, the venue being for weddings imbues it with spiritual importance. Weddings are one of the three most momentous occasions in a person’s life, often signaling their ascension to adulthood. Thus, hauntings could be seen as a potential concern when planning a wedding. Next, the building itself is very old. Old buildings are seen as having a long history that is often troubled. If this were the case, it would be seen as more likely that the building is haunted. Lastly, it is an example of work folklore. This means that it could be seen as a unifying belief amongst the workers who all get to take part in this legend together. Uniting all these components together is a collection of memorates. When people experience strange occurrences that they cannot explain, people often turn to ghosts to account for the experience.

White Cross in Oklahoma

Nationality: American
Age: 24
Occupation: Client Relationship Specialist
Residence: Orange County, California
Language: English

STORY:

“When I was in Oklahoma this weird white cross just appeared on the back window of my car. I had just put groceries in the car and it wasn’t there, but when I got home it was suddenly there. I think an angel put it on my car. I mean it was a cross so I do think it came from God.”

CONTEXT:

The informant had this experience while away at university. She swears that the white cross appeared on her car miraculously and that it was not there before she was putting groceries into her car.

ANALYSIS:

The informant took this experience as a source of comfort, seeing the cross as divine rather than due to something malicious. This could be due to the informant being far from home. She is away at university, far from her family, so when this strange occurrence happens, she uses it for reassurance when she may otherwise have been lacking that comfort. This experience also has religious connotations to it. A folk symbol, one that is important to Christians, would be more likely seen as a positive sign than a negative one. This story presents a unique blending of memorate and folk belief.