What is 'Yeowoo Nuni'? (Feat. Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020))

In the first episode of the Korean drama 'Tale of the Nine Tailed', which aired in 2020, the character 'Yeowoo Nuni' appears. Let's find out what 'Yeowoo Nuni' is.

"Yeowoo Nuni" is a traditional Korean folktale.

'Yeowoo Nuni' is a type of folk tale that has been passed down in some regions of South Korea. Among the many legends that have been passed down orally, this story belongs to the ones created particularly for the purpose of fear. The plot of the story is as follows:

Once upon a time, a wealthy merchant who had three sons prayed with all his heart at a temple in a valley where many foxes lived, wishing to have a pretty daughter. Finally, his wish was granted and he got a lovely youngest daughter, whom the family cherished and loved dearly. However, unfortunate events began to happen in the household, with the livestock such as cows and horses that they raised dying one after another every night. As the father kept losing his precious animals, he ordered his eldest son to stay up all night to watch over them. When the eldest son witnessed his younger sister turning into a fox and eating the cows' liver, he told his father about it. When the eldest son tells his father about the fact that his sister has been turned into a fox and is eating livestock, the father doesn't believe him and accuses him of lying. The father becomes angry and kicks the son out of the house. The other two sons also receive the same command from their father to protect the livestock, but they witness their sister eating the animals. Since the eldest son was kicked out of the house for telling the truth, the other two sons remain silent. 

As years pass, the eldest son gets married and starts to worry about his family. He tells his wife about his concerns and decides to visit his family. His wife prepares three gourds for him, worried about his safety. When the eldest son arrives at his family's house, he finds that the house is destroyed and his family members are all dead. Moreover, bad things have happened to the neighboring villages, and his sister is living alone as a fox. The sister tries to catch her first brother, who she hasn't seen in a long time, and turn him into a fox as well, but he already knows about her transformation and runs away. The sister transforms into a fox and chases him, but with the help of his wife's gourds, the fox sister is killed and the eldest son barely survives.

"Yeowoo Nuni" in 'Tale of the Nine-Tailed'.

In "Tale of the Nine Tailed" the 'Yeowoo Nuni' appears as a character who falls in love and gets married. 

However, due to the sin of living for a long time and harming not only animals and humans, but also even one's own siblings and family, they are caught by Yi Yeon and punished.