FAIRIES AND SCARECROWS: A TRANSLATION AND ANALYSIS OF HOW RELIGION HAS INFLUENCED TRADITIONAL KOREAN FOLKTALES

Abstract

This project is a translation of two traditional Korean folktales-The Story of Onggojip and The Woodcutter and the Fairy- that specifically identify and focus on the important cultural values of Korean society reflected by their religious influence. I chose to do a translation because it is my aim to learn and become fluent in Korean and I knew that translating two traditional stories would be a great step in learning the language in addition to the rich history and practices of Korean culture. Korean culture has been deeply influenced by religion and learning how beliefs in religion influenced Korean values and traditions through their folktales is of great interest to me. After discussion with Professor Chung and Dr. Yang, we agreed that I first research into the religious background of Korean history and what fundamental societal values were born and perpetuated from these religions, specifically Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shamanism. Afterwards, Professor Sojung suggested two stories to translate that particularly showcased the values of the religions I researched. While translating, it was difficult to know the meanings of some words or phrases that were referring to analogies or idioms and I included footnotes for those particular instances. What was rewarding was seeing how it gradually became easier to translate the farther into the book I progressed and understood the story. I believe I gained a great amount of knowledge and understanding about my heritage and family’s culture from this project.