✦ A Korean Folktale ✦
Heungbu and Nolbu
흥부와 놀부 · Heungbu wa Nolbu
The swallow's leg and the magic gourd
The original tale
The tale of Heungbu and Nolbu
A folktale beloved in the Joseon dynasty as both a written story and a pansori song. The contrast between gentle Heungbu and greedy Nolbu teaches kindness as its own reward.
Of two brothers, kindhearted Heungbu was poor and greedy Nolbu was rich. One day Heungbu saved a swallow with a broken leg. The next spring the swallow returned with a magic gourd seed — and inside the grown gourd were silks and treasure. When Nolbu tried the same trick by deliberately breaking a swallow's leg, dokkaebi tumbled out of his gourd and taught him a lesson.
한국어로 읽기
조선시대에 글과 판소리(노래) 모두로 사랑받은 옛이야기예요. 마음씨 좋은 흥부와 욕심 많은 놀부의 대비를 통해 착하게 살자는 가르침을 줘요.
두 형제 흥부와 놀부 중 마음 착한 흥부는 가난하게 살았고, 욕심 많은 놀부는 부자였어요. 어느 날 흥부가 다친 제비 다리를 고쳐 살려보냈는데, 이듬해 제비가 박씨를 가져다줬어요. 박이 자라 안에서 보물이 나왔죠. 놀부는 따라하려고 일부러 제비 다리를 부러뜨렸지만, 그 박에선 도깨비가 나와 혼이 났답니다.
Korean words you'll meet
Vocabulary from "Heungbu and Nolbu"
- 흥부Heungbu
HUNG-boo
The younger brother's name — has a feeling of "cheerful and warm" in Korean.
- 놀부Nolbu
NOHL-boo
The elder brother's name — hints at "someone who only wants to play and indulge."
- 제비jebi
JEH-bee
A small bird that flies to Korea each spring — believed to bring good fortune.
- 박bak
BAHK
A round gourd grown on traditional thatched roofs — famous in folktales for hiding treasure inside.
- 박씨bakssi
BAHK-ssee
A gourd seed — plant it and a gourd vine grows.
Our version — We follow the original story closely, but on Chapter 2 you choose how Heungbu cares for the injured swallow — gathering his wife and children around it together, or carefully preparing his mother's herbal remedy. Either path is sincere, and both converge on the same canonical ending: the swallow returns with a gourd seed, treasures pour from Heungbu's gourd, and greedy Nolbu's copycat gourd unleashes dokkaebi instead. In the end Heungbu forgives his brother and the two come to live together in one yard.
우리 버전 — 원작의 큰 줄기를 그대로 따르되, 2장에서 흥부가 다친 제비를 어떻게 보살필지 — 식구가 다 같이 따뜻하게 / 어머니의 약방문대로 정성껏 — 직접 선택해요. 어느 길을 택해도 진심이 같아 같은 정통 결말로 모입니다 — 다음 봄 제비가 박씨를 물어다 주고, 박에서 보물이 쏟아지고, 따라 한 놀부의 박에선 도깨비가 나오지요. 마지막에는 흥부가 형 놀부를 용서하고 한 마당에서 함께 살게 됩니다.
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