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Overview
Mo, the daughter of a man enslaved to Prince Ha, marries the scholar An Yun. The prince objects to the unequal marriage, has her taken away and intends to marry her to a bondsman. After one escape and reunion, she is seized again. She is later found hanged. The tale’s subsequent apparition concerns the dead Mo, not a woman revealed to have been nonhuman during her life.
Months later, An crosses Camel Mountain by moonlight while remembering her. He hears a footfall among the pines and sees Mo approaching. He runs to her and catches her hand, but she disappears. His renewed grief leads to illness and, eventually, his own death. The account does not narrate their reunion after his death or the return of Mo to bodily life.
Yi Ryuk names two people who repeatedly told the story: his friend Kim Champan, a cousin of An, and Yu Hyo-jang, An’s nephew by marriage. That reporting chain is more specific than an anonymous public legend, but it is not the author’s claim to have witnessed the apparition. The closing praise of chastity, suicide and social rank belongs to the historical tellers’ values and is not adopted here.
Origins & earliest records
Korean narrative in historical English translation
Records & interpretation
Complete chapter, relevant introduction and ending directly read; claims separated from editorial explanation.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Korean Imps, Ghosts and Fairies
Chapter 46, complete narrative and attached introductory notes. Gutenberg page labels are not relied on as printed pagination.
Family & connections
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Primary records and illustrations
Korean Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (1913), translated by J. S. Gale
Chapter 46. Chapter 46, complete narrative and attached introductory notes. Gutenberg page labels are not relied on as printed pagination.
Complete source section, attached editorial matter and ending directly read. Yi Ryuk names two people who repeatedly told the story: his friend Kim Champan, a cousin of An, and Yu Hyo-jang, An’s nephew by marriage. That reporting chain is more specific than an anonymous public legend, but it is not the author’s claim to have witnessed the apparition. The closing praise of chastity, suicide and social rank belongs to the historical tellers’ values and is not adopted here.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical translated narrative collectionGale, Korean Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (1913), chapter 46Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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