Red Bean Porridge Granny and Tiger (팥죽할멈과 호랑이)

 

Red Bean Porridge Granny and Tiger (팥죽할멈과 호랑이) A Korean Folktale

Created for FolkTale Week 2020 (Click to enlarge)

Theme: Solstice

Ink and pencil on paper

"A Granny living alone in the remote mountains was planting red beans in her field when a huge tiger appeared and tried to eat her up. Granny pleaded that the tiger wait until she harvested her red beans so that she could make red bean porridge on Dongji (Winter Solstice)". 

This tale holds many symbols for life, and granny gets help from some common humble tools and friends to fight against the greedy powerful ruler of the mountain. Korean grannies are very tough, so I am not surprised that she put up a fight!

The steep mountains in this piece are modeled after my visit to Korea long ago. My grandma was a devout Buddhist, and supported a little temple up in the mountains. My family joined her for a visit, and I enjoyed watching a monk pouring hot water from a big teapot into a tiny teapot, and then from the tiny teapot into an even tinier tea cup. As I sipped my tea and looked outside the window, I saw little monks speckled all over the mountainside, sitting on the edge of the cliffs! I don't know what comes first, meditating to find the courage, or the courage to sit there and meditate.

Story reference: https://folkency.nfm.go.kr/en/topic/detail/6002