A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
A visiting prince eats the Western Queen Mother’s longevity peaches and tosses one to a palace attendant he admires. Her acceptance and bite breach the court’s rules. After an explicitly acknowledged break in the story, the two reappear more than a thousand years later: he is a white-bearded mountain hermit, while she still looks young and wears ancient clothing.
The maiden explains that the queen banished her for a thousand years and that the peach prevented either lover from dying before that term. When she could not find him, she obtained a further extension of life. On their reunion the hermit’s beard falls away, black hair covers his bald head and he becomes young again. The queen then summons them by dragon chariot and orders their marriage.
The introductory warning that palace maidens might be disguised sea monsters is the prince’s mother’s suspicion; it is never confirmed. Nor is the discreet messenger who first fetched him identified as the attendant who catches the peach. This profile follows the paired lovers without merging those two palace roles.
Origins & earliest records
Korean tale in an English literary retelling
Records & interpretation
Full relevant tale and collection preface directly read.
In the literature
“he became young again in her presence”
The Magic Peach, printed p.100
The hermit regains youth when reunited with the palace maiden.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Korean Fairy Tales
The Magic Peach, pp.89–101, especially95–101
- 02
Korean Fairy Tales — The Magic Peach
NewYork:ThomasY.Crowell selected edition with copyright1911 and1922 explicitly printed; year1922 describes selected historical witness, not ancient origin. Full selected tales3/4/7/14/16/20 plus introductory note read independently. William Elliot Griffis is English reteller, not a documented individual Korean narrator. His fictional Grandma Kim/Mrs.Crinkles frames are distinguished from oral-source evidence.
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 Magic Peach. The Magic Peach, pp.89–101, especially95–101
Complete chapter directly read, truncated passage reread. Literary telling with no named actual oral informant; original paraphrase of public-domain-US witness. No source-image verification claimed.
Located primary passages
Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.
Korean Fairy Tales
NewYork:ThomasY.Crowell selected edition with copyright1911 and1922 explicitly printed; year1922 describes selected historical witness, not ancient origin. Full selected tales3/4/7/14/16/20 plus introductory note read independently. William Elliot Griffis is English reteller, not a documented individual Korean narrator. His fictional Grandma Kim/Mrs.Crinkles frames are distinguished from oral-source evidence.
- A virtuous prince receives a royal invitation to the Island of Gems. His mother warns him about palace maidens, while the queen warns the messenger princess about his attentions. He eats longevity peaches and tosses one to a different serving maiden, who catches and bites it against palace rules. Golden mist interrupts the story; the narrator explicitly marks a gap before continuing.
The Magic Peach, printed pp.89–97, visit and breached palace rules
- After over a thousand years the prince is a venerable hermit. The still-young maiden explains her thousand-year exile and their peach-supported survival; unable to find him, she obtained another extension of life. On reunion his beard falls away and black hair returns, making him young. The queen learns through a dragon and orders their wedding after dragon-chariot transport.
The Magic Peach, printed pp.97–101, millennium separation, recognition and wedding
Messenger and serving maiden are not merged. Mother’s suspicion does not establish either maiden as a sea monster, and narrative discontinuity is not filled with invented events. Specified longevity and renewed youth are not unlimited invulnerability. The hermit’s peaceful animals belong to this episode, not proof of an independently verified miracle.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical English literary retellingGriffis, Korean Fairy Tales, The Magic Peach, pp.89–101, especially95–101Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.