#korean folklore

[hellothere172]

THE SHEER POTENTIAL THESE FOUR HAVE

(artwork by Ami Thompson, art director of KPDH)

I think everyone is certain by now based off of interviews and official artwork that Jinu is coming back to life in some capacity in the sequel.

This lingering shot from the movie when Rumi first meets with Jinu solidifies it for me. The male mannequin even has a gat on. This was definitely an intentional still frame. 3 females, 1 male. All together.

I just love the idea of these 4 as a friend group/Hunters. Like when was the last time we ever saw an iconic group of predominately female members with one male? It always seems like it’s the reverse (Star Wars, Harry Potter, TNMT etc) and the potential for this is amazing.

Can you imagine their DYNAMIC???

We already know how much the 3 girls love and care for each other. But imagine how much they can delve into each relationship going forward if Jinu becomes an integral part of their group?

Mira would probably hate Jinu at first and would probably try (or want to try) to kill him, but she’d warm up to him eventually. They would both roast each other constantly, it would be amazing.

Zoey and Jinu give sibling energy with their hair and goofiness and love for animals so they’d definitely bond quickly. Besties/siblings for life. And maybe Zoey would remind Jinu of his own little sister.

And as those friendships grow, so would Rumi and Jinu’s bond.

Now I want to go into why I think this dynamic would work within the realm of Korean folklore, which is heavily used and referenced by the creators of the movie.

In Korean folklore, there are commonly 4 guardian deities (Dragon, Phoenix, Turtle and Tiger)

Dragon - Jinu (Yang: the male king deity that gets paired with the Phoenix) Dragons represent hope, courage, power, growth and protection. They can also represent new life.

Phoenix - Rumi (Yin: could represent being reborn, and is the female queen counterpart to the male dragon) A Phoenix represents royalty, leadership, fame, communication and grace. They can also represent spiritual enlightenment.

Together the Dragon and Phoenix represent love, unity and balance.

Symbolically, the dragon circles below while the Phoenix flies above (Demon vs Human Realm) The Phoenix burns away corruption from the Dragon’s domain. The Dragon then brings rain (change/acceptance), nourishing life so that the Phoenix can raise the world up from the flames. They both act as partners in transformation.

(Tell me this doesn’t sound exactly like what Jinu and Rumi did for each other)

Turtle - Zoey, no question (for obvious reasons) Turtles represent resilience, wisdom, and protection. They also serve as a bridge between worlds.

Tiger - Mira (originally I thought Jinu could fit here too because of the whole Derpy situation but after reading up on the lore and what each guardian animal means, I believe Mira could easily fit as the tiger) Tigers represent strength, courage, endurance and protection.

How cool would it be to see something like this come to life in the next film(s)?

I just think these 4 are neat and I’m really excited about the possibilities.

[moony-buckets]

ITS DONE FINALLY HUZZAH!!

A gumiho (구미호) is a creature from Korean folklore—a nine-tailed fox spirit that can live for hundreds or even thousands of years. It’s most often portrayed as able to transform into a beautiful human, usually a woman, to interact with people. In traditional stories, the gumiho is clever, seductive, and dangerous, often seeking to gain humanity by consuming a human’s heart or liver.

I thought Ruin would be fitting for this as he is probably the most deceptive character in tsams. I had a lot of fun drawing this! I used the nine ribbons hanging from ruins honbok to represent the nine tails he bears when in the form of the fox. While a gumiho typically takes the form of a woman I didn't feel like drawing that so I drew a simpler honbok for this.

text less version below cut

[tiachristiner]

These two. Also I can’t get the soundtrack out of my headddd 😩 I love it though.

[stray-images]

by Soey Milk

[gummygoatgalaxy]

Song Cho

Cho is my newest kpdh oc who is a Mudang and Bobby's niece!!

I ship her with Rumi (and sometimes Polytrix)

Anywho, I did some research and found out this stuff, and decided I wanted to do something with it!!

Please ask questions!!

[missvoicecrack]

So the Saja boys are references to and named after the Grim Reaper of Korean mythology and folklore, the "Jeoseungsaja" or "Saja" for short. They escort all souls to the afterlife and dress in the same garments that the Saja boys wear in their demon forms.

The "Jeoseungsaja" are also refered to as "messengers of death".

Sussy is a bird. A bird that brings messages(to Rumi) and is said to repeatedly steal Derpy's special matching hat. Because Sussy is a MESSENGER BIRD. So he needs a MESSENGER'S HAT.

[the-night-flovver]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞-𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐱

In East Asian mythology, the nine-tailed fox appears in many forms across cultures. In Japan, it's known as the Kitsune, a fox spirit that grows wiser and more powerful with each tail it gains, up to nine. Kitsune are skilled shapeshifters, often taking the form of beautiful women, and can be playful tricksters, protectors, or divine messengers of the Shinto god Inari, who's linked to rice, fertility, and prosperity. In Korea, the Gumiho (or Kumiho) is a nine-tailed fox that can transform into a woman to lure humans, sometimes feeding on their hearts or energy. Some legends say a Gumiho can become fully human by avoiding violence or resisting its predatory instincts for a long time. In China, the Huli Jing or Jiuwei Hu is a fox spirit that can be kind or dangerous depending on the story. Ancient texts like the Shanhaijing describe it as a creature with mystical power and shifting morality, sometimes benevolent, sometimes a devourer of humans.

[taki118]

KPop Demon Hunters Theory

After watching the movie I did a quick dive on Korean mythology and Folklore and I think I found something interesting that might be where they go should it get a sequel. First things first though I am not an expert so if I'm off based with my assumptions tell me. Also spoilers.

The first thing I found out is the Korean mythology doesn't really seem to have demons as we typically view them and how the movie presents them. BUT the way they are designed is a shoe in for Dokkaebi. While they might look like what we in the west associate with demons the Dokkaebi are actually more similar in nature to the Fae. They are not typically depicted as malicious but rather mischievous. There are several sub categories of Dokkaebi and some are more typically evil but on the whole they are more likely to prank a human than kill one. And this sent me down a rabbit hole of thought, What if this is on purpose?

The movie tells us these demons have been attacking humans forever but that its all in service to Gwi-Ma. So what if he's forcing them to go against their own nature to do this? That he is controlling them in one way or another? That would explain why they are not all that adapt at fighting like none are really a challenge. However they are very good at disguising themselves which would track with their mythological roots. Like even the Saja Boys all of them seem to actually enjoy messing with Huntrix like the variety show scenes legit felt like a Looney Tunes bit. Which again would make sense given their roots.

And speaking of the Saja Boys they take on the appearance of Jeoseung Saja the Korean take on the concept of a grim reaper if thats truly what they are and its not just a costume then that's kinda weird right? Jeoseung Saja reap souls taking them to be judged but can also help them resolve unfinished business and can take bribes to extend a persons life. Again these are neutral figures. Why fight for Gwi-Ma?

Another option for what Jinu specifically might be is a Gwishin a type a ghost with unfinished business and are typically vengeful because of it. Actually the "water demons" we see in the bathouse are more than likely Mul Gwishin or water ghosts, who themselves drowned and then do the same to others.

But what I am finding here is that these creatures are natural and a part of the world deeply connected to humans. So this is my theory:

What if the Honmoon was only meant to be temporary? If Gwi-Ma took control of these creatures that were forced to act outside their true nature making him stronger, then the original hunters would only be forced to fight them to protect humans. I think the Honmoon was a bandage to reduce Gwi-Ma's ability and strength so that one day he could be destroyed and thereby those under his control freed. However over the centuries this original purpose was lost to time along with the knowledge of what the demons really are.

This could be why Rumi's mom connected with a demon. She could have begun to question things and sought out a demon for answers and well then came Rumi. (Dokkaebi are said to have children with humans and that they have supernatural powers.)

So my pitch for the sequel is Huntrix learning this truth and trying to restore the balance that was lost.