Im, the Hunter

When General Im Kyong-up was young, he lived in the town of Tallai. In those days he loved hunting and spent all his time riding and tracking game.

One day he went off to hunt deer in the Wol-lak Mountains, carrying nothing but a sword and following the trail on foot. The chase led him all the way to Tai-paik Mountain, and there night fell and the path vanished in the darkness. All around him were gaping chasms, jagged peaks and cliffs. While he stood wondering what to do, he met a woodcutter and asked him the way.

The woodcutter pointed to a cliff on the other side. “Over there,” he said, “there is a house.”

Im crossed to the far ridge. As he came closer, he found a great tiled mansion standing all alone, with not another house anywhere near. He went in through the main gate, but everything was dark and silent and there was nobody to be seen. It seemed to be empty and deserted. After a whole day in the hills, Im was full of fears and creepy feelings, and he eyed the place uneasily, afraid that mountain goblins or tree demons might live there. But a moment later someone opened the door of a room and called out, “Are you spending the night? Have you eaten?”

Im looked and saw that it was the same man who had shown him the way. “I haven’t eaten a thing, and I’m hungry,” he said.

So the man opened a cupboard in the wall and brought out wine and meat, and Im, who was famished, ate everything. Then they sat and talked. After a while the woodcutter got up, opened the cupboard a second time and took out a great sword.

“What’s that for?” asked Im. “Do you mean to kill me?”

The woodcutter laughed. “No, no! But tonight there is something worth seeing. Will you come with me and not be afraid?”

“Of course I’m not afraid,” said Im. “I want to see it.”

It was about midnight. With the sword in his hand, the woodcutter led Im off to one side, through gate after gate, so many that they seemed never to end. At last they came to a pond shimmering with reflected light. A tall pavilion seemed to stand in the middle of the water, and the lights were coming from inside it, along with the sound of talking and laughter from the upper floor. Through the sliding doors Im could make out two people sitting together. On the right side of the pond was another pavilion with a big tree beside it, and the woodcutter told Im to climb it.

“When you are well up,” he said, “tie yourself to the trunk with your belt and keep perfectly still.”

Im climbed the tree and tied himself fast. From his perch he watched closely. First he saw the woodcutter leap clean across the pond and land in the pavilion. He went straight up to the top floor, and now Im could see three people sitting there, talking and laughing.

After a drink, the woodcutter said to the man beside him, “We’ve made our wager. Now let’s see it through.”

“Agreed,” said the other.

Both of them got up, came down to the entrance and sprang off into the air, where they disappeared. Now Im could make out nothing but the clash of steel and flashes of fire, on and on for a long time. Watching from the treetop, he felt his bones turn cold and his hair stand on end. He did not know what to do.

Then he heard something fall to the ground with a great thud, and a shout of victory rose up. It was the woodcutter’s voice. Chills ran all over Im and his skin prickled with goose bumps, and it was a long time before he could pull himself together.

He climbed down from the tree. The woodcutter met him, tucked him suddenly under one arm and leaped across into the pavilion. There Im saw a beautiful woman with hair like fleecy clouds. Before the fight her voice had been full of merriment, but now she was weeping with grief.

The woodcutter spoke harshly to her. “Don’t you know that you, a wicked woman, have caused the death of a great man?” Then he turned to Im. “You have courage and spirit in your way, but not enough for a world like this. I will give you this woman and this house, so that you can say goodbye to the dusty world and live here in peace for the rest of your days.”

“I don’t understand anything I’ve seen tonight,” said Im. “Please tell me what it means first. When I have heard that, I’ll do as you ask.”

“I am no ordinary man of the world,” said the woodcutter. “I am an outlaw of the hills and forests. In truth, I am a robber, and by robbing I have many houses like this one, not only here but in every province, each with a beautiful woman and rich food. Without my expecting it, this woman turned from me to another man, and the two of them tried several times to kill me. There was nothing else for it: I had to kill him. I have killed the man, though really it is the woman who deserved it. Will you take this place off my hands, and the woman too?”

“Who was the man, and where did he live?” asked Im.

“There was greatness in him,” said the woodcutter, “though he lived humbly inside the South Gate of Seoul, selling cut tobacco. He came here often. I knew it, but I turned a blind eye until they tried to kill me, and that brought things to a head. I never wanted to kill him.” And here the woodcutter broke down and wept. “Alas, alas! I have killed a great and gifted man.

“Think it over,” he went on. “You have courage, but not enough to make your mark in the world. You will fail halfway; the Fates have decided it. Give up your useless ambitions, for there is no way your name will ever be famous. Do as I say, and take this woman and this home.”

But Im shook his head. “I can’t do it.”

“Why not?” asked the woodcutter. “If you won’t, there is nothing left for this woman but death, so I will end it here.” And he struck her down with his sword.

The next day he said to Im, “Since you are set on going out into the world to do great deeds, I cannot stop you. But a man who goes out like that without knowing how to use a sword is helpless, at the mercy of his enemies. Stay with me a little while and learn. I’ll teach you.”

So Im stayed six days and learned the art of the sword.

About this tale

“Im, the Hunter” is chapter XXXVII of James Scarth Gale’s Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies (1913). Unlike most of the book, it is marked “Anon.,” with no named author. Gale’s note explains that Im Kyong-up was one of Korea’s most famous generals, who fought on China’s side against the Manchus in 1628 and was, in Gale’s day, worshipped in many parts of Korea.

The tale shows the general as a young man who meets a mysterious swordsman in the mountains. The outlaw’s gloomy prophecy that Im will “fail halfway” hangs over the ending, but Im turns down the house and woman the outlaw offers as though both were his to give and leaves with the swordsman’s training instead.

Read the original: Korean Folk Tales (Project Gutenberg)

For older readers with adult guidance: includes a jealous outlaw killing a rival and then a woman, whom he first tries to give to Im as property.

Skill does not establish moral authority

Im witnesses extraordinary swordsmanship, but hears the alleged murder plot only from the man who has just killed his rival. The woman never gives her account. The outlaw’s lament for the man and immediate killing of the woman expose an unequal judgment. Im can learn a skill from him without the reader accepting him as a trustworthy moral guide.

Separate witness from explanation

List what Im sees beside what the outlaw claims happened earlier. Which accusation lacks another witness in this telling? Compare the space given to the two victims’ voices.

Questions to ask

• What did Im see from the top of the tree?
• Why did Im refuse the outlaw’s gift of the house?
• Do you think the outlaw’s prophecy about Im was fair?

Related stories

• The Fearless Captain — another brave Korean soldier from the same book
• Hong Kil-tong — a Korean hero who becomes a famous outlaw
• The Golden Canister — a Chinese tale of a secret night-time sword expert