A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

After a protective dragon and a deep pond fail to secure the palace completely, a master stonecutter creates a guardian from a great block of white granite. It is set on a high pedestal before the palace gate. When the Fire Spirit approaches, the statue turns its head and licks its lips as though preparing to swallow the intruder.

Griffis describes large fire-resistant scales, curly hair compared with asbestos and a mouth of fangs. The frightened Fire Spirit speculates that the creature is half alligator and half water-tortoise; that comparison is the antagonist’s impression, not a precise species description. The passage does not supply a Korean personal name or horn. Its claim that the palace never burned again belongs to the tale and is not independently verified history.

Animated granite guardian that repels a fire spiritExact literary telling
01

Origins & earliest records

Korean tale in an English literary retelling

02

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.

  1. 01

    Korean Fairy Tales

    William Elliot Griffis · 1922

    The Great Stone Fire Eater, pp. 107–109

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

Direct primary record

William Elliot Griffis, Korean Fairy Tales (1922 edition)

English literary collection. The Great Stone Fire Eater, pp. 107–109

Whole chapter and preface read; no named original-language narrator. Figurative comparisons distinguished from literal anatomy, and cultural/geographical assertions not independently adopted.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Historical tale collectionGriffis, Korean Fairy Tales, The Great Stone Fire Eater, pp. 107–109Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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