The Hungbu and Nolbu tale type: a Korean double contrastive narrative structure

Folklore, April, 2002 by James Huntley Grayson

As in "The Story of Hungbu and Nolbu," the tale of "The Gold Mallet and the Silver Mallet" narrates the story of a good younger brother and his malicious and greedy older brother and the rewards and punishments which are meted out to them both. The first two lines of the tale set the tone for the rest of the narrative when we are told that the younger brother was not only good and honest, but that he took care of his parents, and that his older brother was a bit "wild." The key value which is stressed here is that of filial piety. That the older brother was thought to be wild meant that he was disobedient to his parents' wishes and did what he wanted to do. This point is further emphasised by the two forest scenes in the tale. When the younger brother by chance catches fallen walnuts, he first thinks of his parents and his older brother. On the other hand, when the older brother catches walnuts, he first thinks of himself and then only grudgingly recalls his family. The younger brother's honest character is emphasised not only in this incident but also in his guileless recounting of his adventures to his older brother, and in the care which he provides both for his parents and his insane brother.

The structure of the narrative follows the structure of "The Story of Hungbu and Nolbu," with the first act narrating the adventures of the younger brother and his reward, and the second act narrating the repeat adventures of the elder brother and his punishment. The same Confucian "subtext" is characteristic of this tale as in "The Story of Hungbu and Nolbu": role inversion of the protagonist and antagonist to stress the importance of the value of moral suasion. However, filial piety as a Confucian value is particularly stressed here compared with "The Story of Hungbu and Nolbu." One major distinction between this tale and "The Story of Hungbu and Nolbu" is the first scene in each act. In "The Story of Hungbu and Nolbu," the younger brother and older brother act with intention, to do good or ill. In the tale of "The Gold Mallet and the Silver Mallet," events appear to happen to the chief actors in the narrative. It is as if fate has rewarded the good younger son for his filial virtue and punished the older brother for his greed and lack of filial piety. The tale also stresses the danger of interfering with the spirit world. Injudicious attempts to trick even minor spirits such as goblins can have tragic results. Although this tale has a stronger emphasis on filial piety than does "The Story of Hungbu and Nolbu," there is a weaker link between rewards and benevolent actions.

Tale Type 461--The Third Son and the Monk's Gift