Comments on: And then they came for our goblin… /blog/2007/06/and-then-they-came-for-our-goblin/ But I fear more for Muninn... Thu, 16 May 2013 14:30:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.2 By: exit86 /blog/2007/06/and-then-they-came-for-our-goblin/comment-page-1/#comment-158399 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 04:22:50 +0000 http://muninn.net/blog/2007/06/and-then-they-came-for-our-goblin.html#comment-158399 It must also be mentioned that the 도깨비-esque figure found on Buddhist temples in Korea is actually
an Indian deity known as “Kirttimukha” which was born of Shiva’s mid-eyebrow point in a fit of rage when
a giant-king demanded that Shiva surrender his bride-to-be Parvati. This Kirttimukha was a monster of endless hunger and rage which devoured everything in sight; then, having nothing left to devour, ate its own body and his bottom jaw, leaving nothing bit its
face and top jaw. This Indian monster is of ancient origin, and found its way into Chinese myth/folklore (masks of this monster, known as “Taotie” (“glutton”) that date back to the Zhou period (1111 BCE-900 BCE).
Eventually this monster im,age found its way–via Buddhism–to the Korean peninsula. It has been known in Buddhist circles in Korea as “nathwi” or “kwimyeon,” but such names simply describe the image (“ghost face” for the latter) as opposed to the actual mythological being. This Kirttimukha has obvious differences in relation to the 도깨비 of present in hair, horns, countenance, lack of a full body, etc.
I would be interested in a folkoloric history of the Korean 도깨비, and the inevitable outside cultures and folklores that influenced its development. I would have no doubts about the Japanese Oni being a part of this influence. I’m sure images of Western goblins also have had an effect on this creature’s folkloric development.

Interesting topic!

]]> By: Owen /blog/2007/06/and-then-they-came-for-our-goblin/comment-page-1/#comment-80331 Wed, 04 Jul 2007 10:34:18 +0000 http://muninn.net/blog/2007/06/and-then-they-came-for-our-goblin.html#comment-80331 I must say I’ve never thought about this before, but looking at your average 도깨비 my guess is that their appearance might be related to the iconography of Buddhism in Korea and Japan (there’s definitely a family resemblance with the Four Heavenly Kings, and even Bodhidharma). So perhaps this goblin has Indian heritage.

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