No. 013
Jigwi (fire ghost of unrequited love)
志鬼지귀 (jigwi)
A Silla man who loved Queen Seondeok in vain and, consumed by the fire in his heart, became a fire ghost. When the queen left her bracelet beside him as he slept, his longing on waking burst into flame and burned the pagoda.
Names
- Korean
- 지귀
- Hanja
- 志鬼
- Revised Romanization
- jigwi
- English
- Jigwi (fire ghost of unrequited love)
Abilities
- His longing becomes fire that burns what is around him.
Attestations
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Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms Classical text
Original果三日善德王駕幸入寺。志鬼心火出燒其塔。唯結索處獲免。
Translation (Korean)과연 사흘 뒤 선덕왕이 절에 행차했을 때 지귀의 마음의 불이 나와 탑을 태웠는데, 새끼줄을 둘러 둔 곳만 화를 면했다.
Translation (English)Indeed, three days later, when Queen Seondeok visited the temple, the fire of Jigwi's heart burst out and burned the pagoda; only the places bound with straw rope were spared.
What it says: Within the story of the monk Hyegong, a brief passage says the fire of Jigwi's heart burned the pagoda.
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Encyclopedia of Korean Folklore and Traditional Culture Encyclopedia
What it says: The Jigwi tale article: the plot preserved from Suijeon in volume 20 of Daedong unbu gunok, and comparison with a Buddhist parallel.
Interpretation and notes
The full tale came from the lost Suijeon and survives only in Gwon Munhae's Daedong unbu gunok; a similar story, the tale of Sulpaga, appears in the Buddhist Dazhidu lun and Fayuan zhulin.