Dokkaebi

Dokkaebi (Korean: 도깨비) is a type of demon or orge in Korean folklore or fairy tales. They are similar to Oni. The Dokkaebi is a mythical being that appears in many old Korean folktales. Although usually frightening, it could also represent a humorous, grotesque-looking sprite or goblin. These creatures love mischief and playing mean tricks on bad people. They also reward good people with wealth and blessings. They are different from Gwisin (Korean: 귀신; Ghost) in that they are not formed by the death of a human being, but rather by the transformation of an inanimate object.

Characteristics

Different versions of the Dokkaebi mythology assign different attributes to them. In some cases they are considered harmless but nevertheless mischievous, usually playing pranks on people or challenging wayward travellers to a ssireum (Korean wrestling) match for the right to pass.

Most Dokkaebi carry a kind of club called a Dokkaebi Club(도깨비 방망이). They are like magic wands, from which it can summon anything it wants. Unfortunately, when it gets something by using it, it gets things by stealing from someone else, because this club can only summon existing things, and it does not create objects out of thin air.

The Bird That Drinks Tears

The Bird That Drinks Tears (Korean: 눈물을 마시는 새 Nunmureul masineun sae, abbreviated as 눈마새 Nunmasae) is a series of Korean fantasy novels by Lee Yeongdo. A rare example of the genre Korean Fantasy, the stock characters and clichés of normal western fantasy such as elves, magic, dragons and Latin languages are instead replaced by Korean concepts such as dokkaebi, ssirum, and the Arajit language based on Proto-Korean language.

Publishing

The novel was first serialized in Hitel, an internet forum site, continuing the tradition that all novels by Lee Yeongdo are first serialized in the internet. After the conclusion of the serial, the book was later published through Golden Bough, a publishing company of South Korea. Due to its length, the story was published in four hardcover volumes.

Main characters

Races

The fictional world of The Bird That Drinks Tears is inhabited by four major intelligent races - Human, naga, lekon and dokkaebi. Other than the humankind, the races that appear in The Bird That Drinks Tears are in most respects Lee Yeongdo's original creations, even though the race of naga and dokkaebi originates from Indian and Korean legends, respectively.