Bi-Hyong gladly complied with the King’s request to build a bridge, and every night called up a crowd of his goblin friends. They set to work, and in a very short time they had built a great stone bridge. The King was very pleased, and named it the Goblin Bridge.

For a while all went well, but then crowds of goblins began to come out on to the bridge at night and threaten the passersby. Things got so bad that in the end no one dared cross the bridge at night. This caused great discontent among the people, for they were greatly inconvenienced by being unable to cross the bridge. So the King ordered that a great ceremony of exorcism be held beneath the bridge. After that, the goblins appeared no more, and the people could cross the bridge in safety day and night.

In later times it became custom for young men to gather on the bridge, and, wearing goblin masks, dance to the accompaniment of music, and run races from the bridge to the town of Gyongzu.

One day the King asked Bi-Hyong if there was any among his goblins capable of controlling the administrators of the country. ‘There are many,’ he replied, ‘For example, there is Gil-Dal. I think he would be quite capable of doing it for you. Thereupon the King bade him bring Gil-Dal to him. So he went and brought him into the presence of the King.

When he saw Gil-Dal the King was pleased with him and bestowed high rank and a title of honor upon him. The goblin served the King loyally and strove nobly to see that justice was done. A nobleman, Im-Zong, came to the King and asked that he be permitted to adopt Gil-Dal as his son, because he had no children of his own. This request the King was pleased to grant.

Im-Zong had Gil-Dal build the Tower Gate of the Hung-Yung Temple. It is known as the Gil-Dal Gate to this day, after its builder.

After serving loyally for many years Gil-Dal at last grew weary of his office. So he turned himself into a fox and ran away. When Bi-Hyong heard that he was missing he organized a search. When he was found, Bi-Hyong had the other goblins kill him for his cowardly betrayal of his trust.

Bi-Hyong steadily became more powerful and influential, so that in the end the mere mention of his name struck fear into the people. To this day the inhabitants of that part of the country paste on the gateposts of their houses inscriptions praising the merits of Bi-Hyong to protect them against goblins and imps.

 

 

Told by Song Sog-Ha, Onyang (1930). Taken from Folk Tales From Korea, pg. 127-128 (Published by Hollym International - www.hollym.com).