Long ago, deep in the mountains of Korea, there lived a humble woodcutter and his elderly mother. The man worked tirelessly each day, chopping firewood and carrying it down the steep paths to sell in the village. Though they were poor, he was known for his kindness and gentle heart. He shared what little he had and cared for his mother with the devotion of a true son.
One bright morning, as the woodcutter wandered through the forest searching for good trees, he heard the desperate cry of an animal. Following the sound, he found a deer caught in a hunter’s trap. Its leg was wounded and its eyes filled with pain.
“Do not be afraid,” said the woodcutter softly. He freed the deer, cleaned its wound with cool water, and let it go. The animal looked back at him as if in gratitude before disappearing into the shadows of the trees.
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That night, as he rested by the fire, the same deer appeared again, its leg miraculously healed. To the woodcutter’s astonishment, the deer spoke. “Kind man,” it said, “I owe you my life. I wish to repay your compassion. Tomorrow at dawn, go to the valley beyond the eastern hill. There you will find a pond where heavenly maidens descend from the sky to bathe. If you take one of their feather robes, she will not be able to return to heaven and will become your wife.”
The woodcutter was astonished by this strange promise. Yet loneliness and his mother’s wish for a family tugged at his heart. The next morning, he went to the valley and hid among the reeds near the pond. Soon a beam of light appeared in the sky, and seven beautiful maidens descended, their laughter like the music of wind chimes. They laid their feather robes on the grass and entered the clear water, splashing and singing.
Quietly, the woodcutter crept out from his hiding place and took one robe, hiding it beneath a rock. When the maidens finished bathing, they reached for their robes. But one cried out in distress. “My robe is gone! I cannot return to heaven!”
Her sisters tried to help, but time was running out. One by one they rose into the sky, leaving the weeping maiden behind. The woodcutter stepped forward and spoke kindly. “Do not be afraid. Come to my home. My mother and I will care for you.”
Having no choice, the fairy followed him. She became his wife, and soon their home was filled with warmth and laughter. They had two children, a boy and a girl, who brought joy to their small cottage. The fairy wife tended the garden, wove beautiful cloth, and honored her husband’s mother like her own.
For years, they lived happily. Yet deep within her heart, the fairy often gazed at the night sky and sighed. She missed her sisters and the realm of light she once knew. The woodcutter noticed her sadness, but fear kept him silent.
One day, while he was away in the forest, their little daughter wandered near the yard and found a strange bundle hidden beneath a stone. “Mother, what is this?” she asked.
The fairy’s heart trembled. When she unwrapped the bundle, her feather robe shimmered before her eyes. At that moment, the memories of heaven flooded back, and her longing grew unbearable.
When the woodcutter returned home, he found the house quiet. His mother wept by the door. “Your wife is gone,” she cried. “She put on her robe and flew away with the children.”
The woodcutter fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. “Why did I hide the truth from her? Why did I try to hold her against her will?”
Desperate to see his family again, he remembered the deer’s kindness and went back to the forest to call upon it once more. The deer appeared, sorrowful but compassionate. “Your actions have caused this grief,” it said. “Yet because of your love, I will help you again. Go to the mountain peak tomorrow. There you will find a cloud horse. Mount it, and it will carry you to heaven. But remember, do not dismount before you reach the jade bridge of the heavenly kingdom.”
The woodcutter thanked the deer and went at dawn. He found the cloud horse waiting, its mane shining like mist. He mounted it, rising swiftly into the air. Below him, the mountains shrank and the rivers gleamed like threads of silver.
But when he neared the gates of heaven, overcome with excitement, he leaned forward to catch a glimpse of his wife. In that moment, he lost his balance and fell. The horse vanished into the clouds, leaving him to tumble helplessly toward the earth.
In some tellings, he landed safely but never found the path again. In others, he was transformed into a rooster, doomed to cry every morning at the edge of heaven, calling to his lost love.
To this day, when the rooster crows before dawn, people say it is the woodcutter’s spirit, still calling to the fairy wife who returned to the sky.
Moral Lesson
The story of the Fairy and the Woodcutter teaches that love cannot exist through possession or deceit. True devotion honors freedom, and longing cannot bind what belongs to the heavens. It also reminds us that every act, no matter how well-intentioned, carries consequences that echo across time.
Knowledge Check
1. What did the woodcutter do to earn the deer’s gratitude?
He saved the deer from a hunter’s trap and healed its wound.
2. What advice did the deer give him?
The deer told him about a pond where heavenly maidens bathe and advised him to take one of their feather robes.
3. Why did the fairy maiden stay with the woodcutter?
Because her robe was hidden, she could not return to heaven and became his wife.
4. What caused the fairy to leave?
She discovered her hidden feather robe and was overcome with longing for her heavenly home.
5. How did the woodcutter try to follow her?
He rode a cloud horse given by the deer to reach heaven but fell before he could arrive.
6. What is symbolized by the rooster’s crow in the story?
It represents the woodcutter’s eternal sorrow and longing for the fairy who returned to the sky.
Source:
Adapted from “The Fairy and the Woodcutter” (Seonnyeo wa Namukkun), traditional Korean folktale recorded in Korean oral literature and children’s folktale collections.
Cultural Origin: Korea (traditional / oral folklore)
