호랑이와 곶감

1. 본문

"호랑이와 곶감" (The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon) is a Korean folktale. Here's a summary of the story and some of its key elements:
Story Summary:The story revolves around a hungry tiger that comes down to a village in search of food. He overhears a mother trying to calm her crying child. The mother tries various threats, but nothing works until she mentions a "gotgam" (dried persimmon). The child immediately stops crying. The tiger, who has never heard of a gotgam, assumes it must be a terrifying creature, even more fearsome than himself.

Later, the tiger encounters a thief. In some versions, the thief mistakes the tiger for a cow in the dark and jumps on its back. The tiger, already frightened by the thought of the gotgam, believes the thief is the gotgam and runs away in terror. The thief is equally terrified, thinking he has mounted a terrifying beast. Both are relieved when they are finally separated. The story concludes by noting that they were both too scared to ever return to the village again. The tiger because he thinks a scary "gotgam" is there and the theif for fear of encountering the tiger again.
Key Elements and Themes:

• Gotgam (곶감): Dried persimmons are a traditional Korean treat. In the story, the "gotgam" is a symbol of the unknown, and how fear can be created by misunderstanding.
• Foolish Tiger: The tiger, usually a symbol of power and strength, is portrayed as foolish and easily frightened. This humorous reversal is a key element of the story's appeal.
• Humor and Irony: The story's humor derives from the tiger's misunderstanding and the ironic situation of both the tiger and the thief being terrified of each other.
• Fear of Unknown: The tiger represents the fear that is created from things that are not understood.

Variations:There are other versions of this folktale. One tells the story of a lead fox pretending to be a "gotgam" and scaring all the tigers.