The “Ghost of Epidemics” Personified in Two Joseon Dynasty Tales

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has led to substantial numbers of confirmed cases, severe cases, and deaths. Historical records indicate that there were several epidemics in the Joseon dynasty in Korea. From a historical perspective, we may ask: what kind of infectious diseases were prevalent in the Joseon dynasty, when people did not know that pathogens are the cause of infectious diseases? From the tales of that period, we can see how the people conceptualized the causes of epidemics at that time. I read Cheonyerok, in which Bang Im (1640 - 1724) compiled bizarre stories that circulated in the Korean population at the time [1]. Herein, I introduce stories about smallpox ghosts in this book.

The first story is “Treat the smallpox ghost to save the sick child.” A scholar from Seoul visited Yeongnam Province for business. On his way back as the sun went down, he decided to stay in a village house. The owner of the house refused to let him stay because his child had caught “mama” (smallpox). The scholar had no choice but to stay in another house. That night, a half-white old man came to see him in a dream. “It has been several days since I came to this house as a guest and stayed.” When the scholar said, “The house owner blocked the door and did not let me in; it was a disappointment,” the old man spoke again. “The owner of the house was rude and treated me poorly, so I was just going to kill his child” (Fig. 1). When the scholar asked, ‘How did he treat you disloyally?’ The old man replied. “Even though he had food such as live pheasants, beef, and dried persimmons, he hid them and never let me taste any. So I hate him.” The scholar realized that the old man was the “smallpox ghost” and responded immediately. “He deserves to be hated; however, isn't it too much to kill his child? I think he accidentally forgot and didn't offer you food. Tomorrow morning I’ll talk to him and bring good food for you. Why not forgive the child and let the child live?” The scholar’s repeated request to save the child finally persuaded the ghost. “I was from a village in Yeongnam. I died and became a smallpox ghost. I am spreading ‘mama’ in this region. It's been two years since my death, and my sons are about to perform the ancestral rites. But I am busy with work and it is difficult for me to visit my home. Since my house is on your way, would you stop by my house and convey a message to my three sons? The message is to postpone my ancestral rites for several days so I will be able to participate. If they held a ceremony and I couldn’t attend, wouldn’t it be the same as not having a ceremony at all? I'd really appreciate it if you could meet my sons and pass this message on to them.”

Figure 1
Personification of “mama” (smallpox) as an old man. A half-white old man (smallpox ghost) came to see a scholar in a dream and said “The owner of the house was rude and treated me poorly, so I was just going to kill his child.” Illustration by Hye Won Hu, MA.

• Click for larger image
• Download as PowerPoint slide

Another story is “A naughty boy spreads an epidemic at a family feast.” In the house of a nobleman, a large family feast was held. Many family members gathered together. However, outside the main hall, a naughty boy with his hair messed up appeared and stood alone. He looked ferocious, and about 15 or 16 years of age. The owner and the guests thought that this boy was a servant of one of the guests. Then a female guest worried that the boy came too close to the women’s area, so she dispatched her servant girl to send him away. But the boy did not respond and stood still. Then the servant girl scolded him, “Who are you that you dare stand so close to the inner room for ladies?” Still, the boy remained silent and did not say a word and remained silent. All the female guests were angry and ordered him to be removed. A few people tried to lead him away, but it was in vain. The guests in the main hall had some sturdy servants grab him to take him away — but he still didn’t budge. They could not move even a single hair of the boy, as if they were trying to move a big mountain. Again, five or six powerful warriors hit the boy with clubs however, he did not express any pain or move even slightly. People were startled and frightened because they thought that maybe the boy wasn't a human. So everyone came down to the courtyard, knelt before him, bowed their heads, and prayed earnestly. After a while, the boy walked out the door with a smile. As soon as he left the door, his footprints disappeared. The people were startled and terrified, so they ended the feast and went home. Starting the next day, the plague began to spread rapidly in the homes of the owners and those who attended the feast. The people who contacted were killed first within a few days, with their heads being torn open. All those present at the feast were killed, and no one survived (Fig. 2). In the words of the world, this child is called Du-uksini.

Figure 2
Personification of an epidemic as a naughty boy, Du-uksini. Peoples who tried to pull him out boy were killed, with their heads being torn open. Illustration by Hye Won Hu, MA.

• Click for larger image
• Download as PowerPoint slide

In the late Joseon dynasty, smallpox, measles, and cholera were prevalent. In the literature of that time, epidemics occurred suddenly and caused society to tremble with anxiety and fear. After a certain amount of time, however, epidemics suddenly disappeared. How people at this time thought about and perceived these epidemics is shown more vividly in the tales of the time than in the records of historical events.

Bang Im, a disciple of Si-yeol Song, a Confucian scholar, had a theory of the etiology of epidemics, according to which human error breaks the harmony of yin and yang, and the resulting bad energy accumulates and causes plague. However, this etiology would not have been enough to respond to the fear and pain caused by infectious diseases such as smallpox. While accepting the divine etiological theory that smallpox is caused by a supernatural being called the devil, Im Bang described the demon not as an unpredictable and cold-hearted entity, but as a moral and compassionate being [2].

Contagious diseases are feared because of their unpredictable transmission and contagious power. Since people live together and come into contact with each other, living in a community puts them in an environment where they can contract infectious diseases no matter how careful they are [3].

Both stories personified ghosts that caused or spread smallpox. Because the author believed smallpox to be caused by supernatural beings, he described the ghosts as moral and compassionate, not unpredictable and cold-hearted entities. The above stories visualized and personified invisible and unknown infectious diseases.

In the Joseon dynasty, epidemics caused greater fear and anxiety than would be warranted if people had understood the actual circumstances because people could not see the pathogens. Smallpox attacked anybody, irrespective of age or social status. These stories were created because vague fear and anxiety could be alleviated to some extent by visualizing and personifying the cause of the epidemic.