What does gumiho mean? Meaning of gumiho (Feat. Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938(2023))

Meaning of gumiho

The word "Gumiho" refers to a nine-tailed fox that appears in various Korean myths and legends. While some Western countries spell it as "Kumiho," the correct English spelling when using the Korean language is "Gumiho." It is also commonly referred to as the "Nine-tailed Fox" in myths and legends from Korea, China, and Japan.

In Korean folklore, Gumiho is usually depicted as a female figure. The most widely known legend of Gumiho today involves a nine-tailed fox that seduces humans to consume their liver and repeats this act nine times before finally transforming into a human.

How is the Gumiho in the drama "Tale of the Nine-Tailed(2020)" different?

In this drama, the Gumiho is depicted as a male character, which is different from the traditional mythological depiction of a female Gumiho. Unlike the negative image of seducing humans to fulfill their desires, this Gumiho is portrayed as a romantic male who cannot forget the woman he loved and searches for her in her reincarnated form.

The drama focuses on the Gumiho as a mystical being with extraordinary abilities, rather than the typical portrayal in traditional folklore. The Gumiho in the drama was originally a guardian of the mountain, but fell in love with a human and ended up committing an act that was forbidden for mountain guardians, resulting in a punishment. However, he remains a romantic male character who cannot forget the woman he loved and seeks to find her again.

One of the well-known characteristics of the Gumiho is their supernatural abilities such as the power to live for 999 years without dying and the ability to transform.

The setting of the fox bead, which is used to save the female protagonist in the drama, is also a well-known aspect of the legend of the gumiho.

Actor who played the role of Gumiho in the K-Drama "Tale of the Nine-Tailed (2020)"

He is a Korean actor, Lee Dong-wook. He was born on November 6, 1981, and has been in the industry for 24 years since his debut in 1999. He gained huge popularity with "My Girl" in 2005. His most well-known drama to date is "Goblin" in 2016. He has gained popularity in various romantic comedy genres, but surprisingly, he also has a wide range of acting skills in portraying dark and cruel roles, such as a killer. In 2019, he appeared in "Strangers From Hell" as Seo Moon-jo, a dentist who enjoys killing for no reason. Thanks to his exotic appearance, he is known for appearing in many fantasy genres and is often called "a face of fantasy."