ellanathrose replied to your photo “Yes, you’re right. It was a time where survival itself was a struggle....”
Okay, this might sound stupid, but the woman in red-is she the representation of the devil? A female grim reaper? I get it she is the old lady at the first couple of episodes...but what is she really?~thanks
She’s def not the devil!! According to javabeans over on db, in the first ep, “Audiences are probably expected to recognize her as Samshin Halmeom, a kind of fairy godmother.” In Korean folktales/shamanist lore, Samshin Grandma is the goddess of childbirth (see: the reference to her being very happy when Eun Tak was born), and she watches over children when they’re very little. Here is a post about a temple dedicated to Samshin and her children. From the stuff I’ve read, Samshin Grandma generally only watches babies and their mothers while the children are in infancy, and one thing said until the children were 7 (maybe why she was initially hesitant to look after Eun Tak as Eun Tak’s mother asked).
She’s a super important goddess in Korean folklore, and is still given offerings on babies’ 100th day celebrations, so I think the show wanted to give her a modern update. You could probably read a bit into the choice and think about how, in 2016, Samshin Grandma now figures she’d get more respect as a young person, when she’s spent 100s of years as an old lady. There might be another reason, but I think she’s young in order to a) reflect her power and b) reflect how youth is now more respected than age.
This is literally all based on research I’ve done since watching the drama, so if anyone knows more, pls talk 2 me abt it.
