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Today on the Korean Atlas and History: Korean Mythological Figures. The
Story of the Sun and the Moon.

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Cultures around the world have different legends regarding the stars in the

sky, as well as the sun and the moon. Naturally, Korea is no different. 해와 달

이야기, or the story of the sun and the moon explains how the sun and the moon

originated as two siblings, a boy and a girl. This story was passed down orally and

its direct origins remain a mystery. It goes like this:

Once upon a time, a single mother lived with her two children. The boy’s

name was 달, which means sun, and the girl’s name was 해, which means moon. The

mother went out. Various reason are given for her leaving, such as to go to work or

to buy rice. As the mother went out, she told the children not to open the door for

anyone but her. As the mother returned, she brought with her rice that she had

received during the day. Perhaps she received it for working, or perhaps she bought

it. On her way home, a cunning tiger confronted her and asked her for food. She

threw two handfuls of rice on the ground and ran away. But, the tiger caught up

and got in front of her, demanding more. She threw down the rest of the rice and

ran on, but once again the tiger caught up and confronted her. This time, she had

no further rice to give, so the tiger ate her. Still being hungry, the tiger decided to
find and eat her children as well. He disguised himself in the mother’s clothes,

picked up the rice, and went to the home where they lived.

The two children had stayed at home and had obediently done the chores all

day for their mother. As they were finishing up the chores, the tiger approached the

house. But, from a distance, the children could not tell that the tiger wasn’t their

mother. As the tiger got up to the door, it knocked and said “Let me in children, I’m

home.” But the children were suspicious and asked to see their mother’s hand. The

tiger put it’s hand through the door and the children immediately realized it was not

their mother. So, they slammed the door and ran out the back door. But the tiger

broke down the door and chased them. The children had some time to get away

because the mother’s clothing made the tiger move slowly. The two children

managed to climb up a tree before the tiger could pull off the clothes and catch up.

When the tiger arrived at the tree, he tried to climb up to the children, but he

had difficulty because he didn’t have hands and arms to hold onto the branches.

Soon enough, though, the tiger managed to get close to the children. The children

were desperate for help, so they prayed to the Lord of Heaven to help them.

Suddenly, the Lord of Heaven sent down a rope for them to escape. As 해 and 달

began to climb, the tiger managed to close the gap and reach the rope as well. 해

and 달 continued to climb higher, but the tiger had difficulty, and was much heavier

than the children. The children climbed up behind the clouds, and the Lord of
Heaven covered them so the tiger could not see them. Slowly, as the tiger climbed,

the rope began to fray above where the tiger clawed at it, and soon it snapped. The

tiger fell far down to the earth and died.

When the two children reached the Lord of Heaven, the Lord of Heaven told

them they would have to work for the food and shelter he would provide them with.

Thus, the Lord of Heaven turned them into the sun and the moon, and the two work

by moving and providing light to children. That way, little children can always see

danger before it comes. The little girl, 해, was shy, so the Lord of Heaven allowed

her to become the sun. This way, no one could look directly at her. 달 became the

moon. And the two still hover in the sky, protecting children to this day.

This story is a cultural way to explain the sun and the moon, but it also shows

the deep rooted filial piety in Korean culture. 해 and 달 did their chores before their

mother came home, as they were supposed to. It’s possible that if they hadn’t done

their chores for their mother, the Lord of Heaven might not have granted their wish.

The story of 해 and 달, or 해와 달 이야기 continues to be told to children in

Korea. It is a fun and engaging, time honored classic.

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 Thank You for listening to this episode of the Korean Atlas and History. Most

of today’s information was taken from the 나무 Wiki and Wikipedia. All of our

episodes can be found and downloaded from koreanatlasandhistory.com. Thank

you for listening and we’ll see you next time.