History and transmission
Japanese researcher Fumihiko Kobayashi stated that the tale of the Pond-Snail Wife "circulate in Korea and China".Chinese tradition
The tale of a snail turning into a woman has been orally passed down not only in Korea but in China as well. An example of the tale's Chinese versions would be ''Dengyuanzuo'' (鄧元佐) in a collection of novellas titled ''Jiyiji'' (集異記 Collection of Strange Stories). There is also ''Luonuxing'' (螺女形) in a story collection titled ''Soushen houji'' (搜神後記 Sequel to Records of the Strange) compiled by the poet Tao Qian (陶潛, 365-474 BC). Chinese folklorist and scholar stated that the snail woman or fairy fulfills the role of "the mysterious housekeeper" ''par excellence'' in Chinese stories. Tales of this sort are attested in ancient Chinese literature, by the time of the ancient Jin dynasty. In his own typological classification of Chinese folktales, he also established its own subtype for the story, type 400C, "The Snail Wife". On the other hand, researcher Haiwang Yuan argues that the story originated in 677 AD in China. In this original version, the snail-wife was actually a heavenly envoy who came to help, not marry, the human farmer.Korean tradition
Korean scholarship may also name this tale ''The Pond-Snail Wife'' and classify it as type KT 206 in the Korean type index. Variants are reported to "widely circulate" in Korea. As for Korean versions of the tale, there is ''Jogae sokeseo naon yeoja'' (조개 속에서 나온 여자The Woman Who Came Out of a Shell) in ''Ondol yahwa'' (온돌야화 Late Night Tales Told on Ondol Floors), which is a Japanese-language collection of Korean folktales by Jeong In-seop that was published in Tokyo in 1927. There is also ''Najung mibu seolhwa'' (나중미부설화 The Myth of the Fair Bride From a Shell) in ''Haguk seolhwa munhak eui yeongu'' (한국설화문학의 연구 A Study on Korean Narrative Literature) by Son Jin-tae that was published in 1946. The folktale has been orally transmitted widely in all regions throughout the Korean peninsula so that more than thirty different variations of ''Ureongi gaksi'' are included in major folktale collections such as ''Hanguk gubi munhak daegye'' (한국구비문학대계 Compendium of Korean Oral Literature). Almost all Koreans are familiar with the term "Ureongi gaksi" because it is an analogy referring to a person who secretly cooks a meal for someone.Plot
Summary
Once upon a time, there was a man living with his mother for he was too poor to find a wife. One day, while working in aVariation
Most variations of this folktale lead to an unhappy ending like the plot introduced above, either by the couple committing suicide or other means of death. In one variation, instead of the mother-in-law, the portrait the snail bride draws for her husband causes her to come across the magistrate. In that variation, the husband is so enamored with his wife that he refuses to leave home for work. The snail bride thus draws a portrait of herself and gives it to her husband to take to work. The portrait, however, is blown away in the wind while the husband is working and allows the magistrate to discover the snail bride and come after her. Meanwhile, another variation bears no mention of a magistrate but arrives at an unhappy ending when the snail bride fails to become wholly human because she marries before the right time comes. In one rare variation that finishes with a happy ending, the magistrate hosts a banquet for beggars in an attempt to make the snail bride laugh. The husband appears at the banquet and dances in a costume covered with bird feathers. At this, the snail bride finally laughs so that the magistrate hands his official robe to the husband, suggesting that he would like try on the bird feather costume. Once they change robes, the snail bride tells her husband to quickly step up to the porch. This causes the magistrate to be ousted while the husband is appointed as a government official and lives happily ever after with his wife.Features and significance
''Ureongi gaksi'' features an inter-species marriage between a snail that turns into a maiden and a male human. When the man courts her, the snail bride tells him she cannot accept him for a couple of days. However, the man is impatient and breaks the taboo by immediately making her his bride. ''Ureongi gaksi'' is therefore structured around taboos and breaking them. The part where the magistrate becomes smitten with the snail bride's beauty and takes her away strongly hints at the motif of a government official taking possession of a woman related to a civilian. Having a maiden emerge from a snail shell give the story a mysterious air. Yet, describing that it is the snail bride's duty to be good at cooking indicates that the term "Ureongi gaksi" represents women who are homemakers in their in-laws' household.Other
''Ureongi gaksi'' features the motif of a government official taking away a woman related to a civilian. Tales with the same motif have gained attention for serving as sources for the well-known Korean classic called ''Chunhyangjeon'' (춘향전 The Tale of Chunhyang). Other Korean folktales similar to ''Ureongi gaksi'' include ''Domi eui cheo'' (도미의 처 The Wife of Domi) and ''Jirisan baksaeknyeo'' (지리산 박색녀 The Ugly Woman at Mount Jiri).Translations
The tale was translated as ''The Mud-Snail Fairy'' and ''The Snail Lady''. A version of the tale, titled ''The Story of the Covetous Magistrate'', was published by E. B. Landis in the ''See also
* Keong Emas (Golden Snail, Javanese folktale)References
Sources
*External links