Derpy tiger’s ancestors were more foolish than you think

Derpy tiger (Netflix)

Thanks to Derpy tiger, the wide-eyed, fluffy cartoon character from Netflix’s “Kpop Demon Hunters,“ the Korean tiger has found new fame. Cute and approachable, Derpy feels like a friend you could keep close.

But in traditional Korean folktales, the tiger was anything but cuddly. Far from a companion or helper, it was often portrayed as hungry, greedy, and, more often than not, foolish.

Here are three well-known Korean stories where the tiger reveals its clumsy side.

Cover of "The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon" (Aizelbooks)

1. The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon

In this tale, the tiger foolishly mistakes a persimmon for a terrifying creature.

One night, a tiger crept into a village and overheard a mother trying to calm her crying child.

“Hush. The tiger is near,” she warned. But the child only cried louder out of fear. The tiger thought, “This boy must be so brave to keep crying even with me nearby.”

Then the mother whispered, “Look, the dry persimmon is here.” At once, the child stopped.

The tiger was shocked. “This 'persimmon' must be more frightening than I am,” he thought.

Just then, a thief slipped into the house. Unable to clearly see the tiger in the dark, the thief mistook it for a cow and leapt onto its back. The tiger, convinced the dreaded persimmon had hopped on him, bolted in terror.

At dawn, the thief realized what he had attempted to ride and fled in shock.

The tiger, meanwhile, relieved that he had escaped the persimmon, disappeared into the forest.

Cover of "The Sun and the Moon" (Samsung Publishing)

2. The Sun and the Moon

Here, the tiger plays the villain, only to be outsmarted by two children.

A mother once left her children at home to sell rice cakes at a distant market. On her way back, she encountered a tiger and gave it a rice cake. But the tiger reappeared at every hill, saying, "I won’t eat you if you give me a rice cake." After several hills, she ran out and became the tiger’s next meal.

The tiger, still hungry, went to her house and knocked, telling the children he was their mother. But his voice was strange, and his paw on the window felt rough. The children -- a boy and a girl -- ran and climbed high into a tall tree beside a well.

The tiger asked how they had climbed so high. The brother tricked him.

“We rubbed sesame oil on our hands and feet,” he said.

The tiger tried, but slipped down again and again.

The sister found it funny and mistakenly shouted, “We used an axe to climb!”

The tiger fetched an axe and began chopping the tree. Terrified, the children prayed for help.

From the heavens, a rope dropped down. They climbed it to safety.

The tiger prayed too. Then a second rope fell from the sky, but it was rotten. Halfway up, it snapped. The tiger tumbled into a grain field, where the sharp stalks cut his body and stained the grain red.

The children reached the sky, where the brother became the sun and the sister the moon. But she was scared of the dark, so they switched places. She became the sun, and he the moon.

Cover of "The Clever Rabbit and the Foolish Tiger" (Sakyejul)

3. The Clever Rabbit and the Foolish Tiger

As its title suggests, the tiger in this story is tricked by a rabbit, not once, but three times. In Korean tales, the rabbit is often the clever one.

One day, a tiger caught a rabbit and prepared to eat him.

“Please don’t,” begged the rabbit. “If you spare me, I’ll bring you rice cakes.”

The tiger agreed. The rabbit roasted stones instead and offered them as rice cakes. When the tiger bit into one, he burned his mouth.

Later, they met again. “This time, I’ll eat you for sure,” the tiger growled.

“Wait,” said the rabbit. “If you hold your mouth open, I’ll bring you birds to fill it.”

The tiger opened wide. The rabbit lit the forest on fire. Hearing the crackling flames, the tiger thought they were birds’ wings. Instead of a feast, he was badly burned.

In winter, they crossed paths again. The tiger swore he would not be tricked a third time.

“If you want fish, follow me,” said the rabbit. At the frozen river, he told the tiger, “Put your tail in the hole. Fish will cling to it.”

The tiger obeyed, but the water froze around his tail. He was trapped. The rabbit hopped away, safe once again.