Mountain Uncle the tiger climbing out of the priest’s opened trap, Korean Fairy Tales illustration published 1922
The priest opens the trap and gives Mountain Uncle a log to climb. This is the speaking tiger of Griffis’s particular retelling, before its threat against its rescuer; the image is not a natural-history photograph.
Overview
Griffis’s Mountain Uncle is a striped tiger of the Kang Wen highlands who prides himself on avoiding hunters. A concealed mirror makes him challenge his own reflection and leap into a covered pit. A Buddhist priest releases him by lowering a log, but the hungry tiger then proposes to eat his rescuer. Spirits in a tree and rock judge against him; the rock spirit calls him a messenger of the Mountain Lord and warns of punishment.
A toad delays judgment until they inspect the trap, allowing the priest to escape to his monastery. When the toad finally rules against the tiger, it retreats into a rock crevice. Mountain Uncle injures his nose trying to reach it and bleeds to death. The toad does not trick him back into the pit in this version, and the mirror is a hunter’s device rather than a magical duplicate.
Origins & earliest records
Korean tale in an English literary retelling
Records & interpretation
Full relevant tale and collection preface directly read.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Korean Fairy Tales
The Unmannerly Tiger, pp. 1–5
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
William Elliot Griffis, Korean Fairy Tales (1922)
The Unmannerly Tiger. The Unmannerly Tiger, pp. 1–5
Complete chapter directly read; distinct speakers and actions retained. Literary personification and enacted magic distinguished from trickery and the reteller’s cultural generalizations. Original paraphrase of the public-domain-US historical witness.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical English literary retellingGriffis, Korean Fairy Tales (1922), The Unmannerly Tiger, pp. 1–5Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationMountain Uncle the tiger climbing out of the priest’s opened trap, Korean Fairy Tales illustration published 1922
The priest opens the trap and gives Mountain Uncle a log to climb. This is the speaking tiger of Griffis’s particular retelling, before its threat against its rescuer; the image is not a natural-history photograph.