Dokkaebi: The Goblin of Artifacts
The Soul of the Tool
In Korean folklore, objects are not lifeless. If a household tool—a broom, a fire poker, a pestle—is used for decades and stained with human blood (often from menstruation or minor cuts), it gains a spiritual resonance. When these objects are discarded without ritual burning, they transform. They become Dokkaebi.
They manifest as fearsome, ogre-like beings, often with a single horn on their forehead and dressed in tiger skins. They are not ghosts (which are spirits of the dead). They are nature spirits born of human artifact.
The Club of Fortune
The definitive tool of the Dokkaebi is the Bangmangi (magic club). It acts as a conduit for material manipulation. With a swing and a chant ("Gold come out, Ttuk-tak!"), the goblin can manifest wealth instantly. They do not steal this gold. They summon it. As chaotic neutral entities, they often use this power to reward the humble or bankrupt the greedy. To receive gold from a Dokkaebi is a test of character—spend it wisely, or it turns to manure.
The Wrestling Addiction
Dokkaebi possess a psychological compulsion: they cannot refuse a wrestling match (Ssireum). If a traveler encounters one on a mountain pass, the goblin will demand a match. They are physically overpowering, often described as having the strength of a landslide. The Weakness: They typically possess only one leg (reflecting their origin as a broom or poker). The winning strategy is to hook the leg and trip them. Pushing them is futile. They are rooted like trees.
Interaction Protocols
Dealing with a Dokkaebi requires understanding their appetites.
- Buckwheat Jelly (Memilmuk): This is their primary vice. Offering jelly is the only reliable way to distract or befriend them.
- Privacy: They have no concept of boundaries. If you befriend one, it will visit every night, loud and smelly, until you perform a ritual to banish it.
- Burning: To prevent the creation of new Dokkaebi, old tools must be burned, not thrown away.
The Final Warning
That old broom in the corner of the shed. The handle is dark with sweat and oil. It has been there for twenty years. It knows your family. It knows your secrets. Don't just leave it in the dark. Burn it, or it might come back with a club.
