Korean Mythology Audiobook By Matt Clayton cover art

Korean Mythology

Captivating Myths, Legends, and Folktales from Korea

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Korean Mythology

By: Matt Clayton
Narrated by: Michael Reaves
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About this listen

Have you ever encountered a noblewoman who was so beautiful that every time she walked by a body of water, the divine being who lived there kidnapped her? Or a mole who wanted to marry his beloved daughter to the wind? You will get to meet both of them in this audiobook.

Long ago, Korea was divided into the three kingdoms of Koguryo, Silla, and Paekche. Each kingdom had its own culture, myths, and legends. Many of these myths were first written down in a collection called Samguk yusa, or “Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms,” which was compiled by a Buddhist monk named Iryeon in the late 13th century.

Changes in religious belief across the centuries came to have an important impact on Korean mythology. The earliest religion was a form of shamanism, and the belief in gods and spirits who inhabit animals and mountains come to the fore in several of these tales. Buddhism was introduced in the fourth century, and several Korean myths have Buddhist monks or priests as their protagonists. Confucianism, which gained traction in Korea starting at the end of the 14th century, contributed to the concept of filial piety that informs the plots of several of the stories in this volume.

Here are just a few of the other amazing things you will encounter in this collection of Korean myths and legends:

  • The story of how King Tongmyong hatched out of an egg
  • The legend of how the dragon Ch’oyong became a protector against smallpox
  • A Korean frog prince and a Korean Cinderella
  • A Buddhist monk who is befriended by a spirit
  • The good brother whom the King of the Swallows rewards for his kindness, and the bad brother who learns a hard lesson about selfishness
  • Why cats and dogs are enemies
  • And more

Scroll up and click the “buy now” button to learn more about Korean myths and legends.

©2021 Matt Clayton (P)2021 Matt Clayton
Korea Literary History & Criticism Royalty King Korean Mythology
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What listeners say about Korean Mythology

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Charming folklore collection - missed opportunity for authenticity

The organization of the content was helpful, and selected stories were charming. With so many fine Korean American voice and narrative talent that were not hired as narrator, this audiobook missed the opportunity to have an authentic and compelling performance. The mispronunciation of Korean words was disruptive.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So nice to hear folk tale that are new to me

Narration, great. Stories, great. A good listen! Anyone unfamiliar with Korean folklore should check this out.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I like it

I liked it it was good and the story about the amber was my favorite yes indeed good adds information on Korea in your inner book which is your mind yes yes indeed good

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A bit short… but great stories

The performance was great. It is written a bit like a western baby boomer is projecting their values onto it, in the sense that fastidiousness and cisgendered desires are written as a given. It feels like a missed opportunity to acknowledge the bridge the gap.

Oh well. I enjoyed it a lot.

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  • Overall
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    2 out of 5 stars

It's not Great

The narrator is dry and kind of boring. very much does the approach as if this was a history book. Whuch in a way it is. This is fine for when he's doing the context bits before the tale starts, but these are folktales. While they may be written down they're supposed to be TOLD not just dryly stated.
Also, not sure he's pronounced any of the names right at all.

I'm going to finish it because it's too late to return it (I bought it about a year ago and I can't remember what the return policy is) and only because I just got to the animal tales and I like those MUCH better than the creation myths (in general across mythology). I will not be buying any additional books by this author because it feels like a outside pov that tries to project western... hmm...ideals is the wrong word. But something.

I will look into what else the narrator has done but will definitely steer clear of anything that has to do with the telling of actual stories.

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