This textbook is designed to be used in 15-week regular undergraduate and graduate school classes, irregular classes at Korean language institutes for intermediate and higher level international students, and special classes at family centers and migrant worker centers. The content is organized in an easy-to-understand manner based on a variety of topics.
We also provide various videos that can be referenced to help Korean learners understand the content.


This textbook presents the stories in the order of 'myths, legends, and folktales,' but it is also acceptable to begin with folktales, which are based on plots and themes widely distributed around the world, and then proceed to legends and then myths.
Additionally, if after-class activities are focused on comparing stories and cultures from the learners' home countries through learner-centered speaking and presentation classes, more active participation can be encouraged.

Lesson 17: The Fairy and the Woodcutter

Learning Objectives
1.
You can think about how the deer repaid the woodcutter's kindness in 'The Fairy and the Woodcutter' and express your opinion on this.

2.
After reading 'The Fairy and the Woodcutter', you can think about whether there are parts that can be interpreted differently due to changes in the times, and present your findings.

Open your mind
1.
Let's read the title and imagine what the story is about.
2.
Do you have any folk tales from your country featuring "fairies" and "beauties"? Let's read them and compare them to the story of "The Fairy and the Woodcutter."

Read and understand
Once upon a time, there lived a hardworking woodcutter.
The woodcutter was working hard cutting down trees in the mountain that day too.
But suddenly a deer that had been being chased by a hunter came running.

“Lumberjack, please save me.
The hunter is chasing.
“Please hide me.”
The woodcutter hid the deer behind a tree.
Then, just as the deer said, the hunter came running and asked the woodcutter.
“Has a deer come here?”
The woodcutter answered.
“Oh, a deer? It went over there.”
The woodcutter lied to the hunter by pointing his finger in the opposite direction where the deer was hiding.
Thanks to the woodcutter, the deer was not caught by the hunter.
The deer said to the woodcutter.
“Thank you so much, Woodcutter.
I want to repay you for your kindness.
As the moon grows larger, beautiful fairies will descend from the sky to the pond to bathe.
The woodcutter hides one of the wings that the fairies have taken off while they are bathing.
And marry a fairy who cannot ascend to heaven and live happily ever after.
But no matter how sad the fairy is, never give her the winged robe until the child turns three.”

The woodcutter, who had not been able to get married until then, could not believe what the deer said and said '㉡'. Then, on a day when the moon grew big, he hid behind a rock and waited for night to come.
But what was going on? The story the deer told was true.
The woodcutter crept over and stole one of the fairy's wings.
As dawn broke, the fairies finished bathing and began to dress.
But one of the fairies had no clothes and could not ascend to heaven.
The woodcutter did as the deer told him and brought the fairy home and married her.
As time passed, the fairy and the woodcutter had two sons.
The woodcutter was still not rich, but he had more days to smile as he raised children with his wife.
But the fairy began to miss her heavenly family more and more often.
“I miss my parents and sisters in heaven so much.
“My family will be so happy when they see the children I gave birth to….”
The woodcutter felt heartbroken when he saw the fairy sobbing.
'Yeah, I can imagine how worried my wife's family must be.
'Now that I have two children, I think it's okay to tell her.' Thinking this, the woodcutter told the story of how he stole the fairy's clothes and gave her the winged clothes.
“I hope you find some comfort in looking at these clothes.
Now let's live happily together here."

But the next day, when the woodcutter returned home in the evening after chopping wood, there was no one at home.
The fairy wore wings and took all the children to heaven.
The woodcutter was very sad.
I couldn't stand to see my wife and children.
There were many days when I went up the mountain and just looked at the sky without doing anything, and then came back home.
But the deer from before appeared in the woodcutter's dream and said:
“Lumberjack, I told you not to give the fairy the winged clothes until she had three children. Why did you do that?” After the woodcutter stole the fairy’s clothes, the fairies are now afraid and won’t come down to earth.
But let's lower the basket into the pond.
When the moon grows bigger again, the woodcutter hides well near the pond and gets into the basket.
Then you will be able to ascend to heaven.”
The woodcutter did as the deer told him, hid at night when the moon was full and climbed into the basket.
The basket rose into the sky, and the woodcutter was able to meet his wife and children there.
“Dad! I really missed you.”
“Honey! I missed you too!”
The woodcutter was reunited with his wife and children and lived happily ever after in heaven.

Words and expressions
Complete the sentences by inserting the appropriate word into the parentheses.
1.
My brother gave me money ( ) from his pants pocket.
2.
( ) of course you will be punished for stealing someone else's stuff.

3.
There are many different kinds of fish living in our school ( ).


Check the contents
1.
Why did the woodcutter steal the fairy's clothes?
① To take a bath in the pond
② I thought I would become rich if I sold the wing clothes.

activity
In the past, lumberjack behavior was not considered a problem, but in modern society it can be a serious crime.
Let's find the problematic part of the woodcutter's behavior.

Organize
1.
This story is about a deer that received help from a woodcutter and wanted to repay the favor.
2.
Things that were possible in the past may become crimes in modern society.
We need to think about the changes in perception that can change over time.

--- From the text