Cinderella #214 Pigling: A Korean Cinderella Tale (Jolley, D. & Timmons, A.)

Illustrated by Timmons, A.

Once upon a time, "when the world was younger, and magic wasn't so hard to find," there lived an elderly couple. They had spent many happy seasons together, and shared many joys. Yet their life was lacking in one thing: a child.  At last their prayers were answered, and the woman found herself with child. When a beautiful baby girl was born nine months later, the couple rejoiced. Since the pear trees in their garden were in full bloom, they named the girl Pear Blossom. As the little one grew, they cherished her. Her mother chose ribbons for the little girl's braids, matching the colors to the seasons. In the spring the ribbons were pink, in the summertime, gold, and in autumn, "a brilliant yellow". But one terrible winter, Pear Blossom's mother died. She and her father were bereft. Yet Pear Blossoms sorrows soon grew worse. Intending only the best, her father sought the advice of the village matchmaker. This lady contemplated the matter, then said, "We'll do a three in one! A wife for you, and a mother and sister for your young one." So her father married, and the lady and her daughter moved into their home. But the stepmother was not kind. She forbade Pear Blossom to speak of her real mother, and ordered the girl to call her "Omoni", or Mother. She found fault with everything that Pear Blossom did, from her cooking to her cleaning, her manners to her looks. She began slapping the child, giving her more and more work. And because the girl spent so much time working on her hands and knees, her stepsister gave her the nick name Pigling, because, she said, the girl looked so much like a pig.  Each night, "Pear Blossom silently cried herself to sleep, wishing things could change."By the time Pear Blossom was thirteen, she had become "the most beautiful girl for thousands of miles." Her stepmother abused her mercilessly, and her father seemed not to notice that anything was wrong. But her stepsisters lay awake at night, devising new cruelties for Pear Blossom. One day, her stepmother commanded her to fill a large jug, in a very short while. To make matters worse, the jar had a very large crack in it. Yet Omoni declared,"I don't want to hear excuses, Pigling. Get that jar filled or I'll make you wish you had." Left alone, she began to scoop water into the jar. To her surprise, it did not run out. That's when she heard a voice, saying, "Jugful! Jugful!". When Pear Blossom looked down, she saw a huge, green frog. She thanked it, saying, "Thank you for your help, Master Frog." And in no time, she filled the jar. When her Omoni came back, instead of being pleased at the completed task, she was furious. But when she demanded to know how the jar had been filled, and Pigling told her that "a magic frog helped me", she grew even angrier. She made her own daughter go to the well to look for magic frogs. Instead, the girl got a soaking when Master Frog suddenly jumped out of the crack, just as she passed his jug. In spite, Omoni ordered Pear Blossom to hull a huge sack of rice, by hand. She took her daughter in for supper, telling her stepdaughter that she would be fed when the hulling was done. So Pear Blossom began, but the task was impossible. That's when hundreds of little birds swooped down from the sky, and hullled the rice quickly into two piles. When Omoni saw that the job had been done, she accused Pear Blossom of cheating. She sent her own daughter to demand magic from the birds, but all she got for it was thorough pecking. This, too, was blamed on Pigling, and Omoni roared, "You'll pay dearly for this!"When Festival Time came, Pear Blossom was put to work sewing new dresses for her stepmother and sister. Then she had to prepare the feast, and pack it into a large basket for them to carry away. Of course, she was not allowed to have so much as a bite of the food. Then, to add to her torment, Omoni told Pigling that she, too, could attend the festival. The girl's heart jumped, and that is when Omoni added, "After you have weeded the rice paddies." With a wicked cackle, she threw a bucket of old turnips at Pigling, then took her daughter off to the festival. Pear Blossom made her way to the rice paddies. There she took one look, and sat down to cry, for it was too overwhelming, and all she had to eat were turnips.  Suddenly, a nobleman and his entourage passed by. Pear Blossom, in her fright, started to run. The nobleman called for her to stop, startling her so that she fell, and lost one shoe. But she ran on, and disappeared among the rice stalks. The nobleman picked up her shoe thoughtfully. Meanwhile, Pigling returned to the rice paddies. To her surprise, there she saw a whirling cloud plummeting from the sky. Out of it stepped a huge black ox, who bowed to her, then commenced munching weeds. Pear Blossom blinked, and, to her amazement, saw that the paddies were totally weeded, and the basket which had contained turnips was now filled with candies and buns. So she set off for the Festival. Once there, she watched an acrobat and a dancer, before horrid Omoni spied her. At once she demanded to know where the candies and buns had come from, and accused her stepdaughter of stealing them. At that moment, a crier passed by, announcing that "The Magistrate Suwen seeks to find a young woman he believes to be in attendance here...a young woman who may be wearing only one sandal." Sure that her detestable stepdaughter was about to get arrested for theft, Omoni flagged the man down, shouting, "It's her! It's her! She's only wearing one sandal." But when the crier stopped in front of the family and explained that the magistrate wished to marry the girl who could fit the shoe he had found, Omoni gasped. She tried desperately to convince the man that her other daughter was the one being sought. She would make a better bride, said Omoni, because "She has two sandals, one on each foot!" But Suwen recognized Pear Blossom for the timid girl who had fled from him in the forest. Now he said to her, "It would be a great honor if you would accept me to be your husband." Pear Blossom saw "how kind and strong and good he was", and realized that "it was her destiny to say yes." So she did, and they were soon married. The magistrate's parents welcomed their new daughter, and joyfully celebrated the marriage of their son. 

From Graphic Universe: Pigling, a Cinderella Story (2009)

Notes: I love this format; so many great titles available from Graphic Universe, too. I have got to get Demetear and Persephone: Spring Held Hostage.

Montessori Elementary Connection: Geography/History of Korea

1. Read this story, and any other Korean Cinderellas you may know of. 

2. Learn about the history of Korea: Land of Morning Calm: Korean Culture Then and Now

3. Learn about more Korean folktales and literature:Korean Children's Favorite Stories

#134 Kongi and Potgi: A Cinderella Story from Korea (1996)

"You'll have to fill the water jars
before you can go." said her stepmother.
Han, Oki S. 

Once upon a time, "in a peaceful Korean village, there lived a kind hearted girl named Kongi." All was peaceful in her life with her mother and father, until, one terrible day, "Her mother became ill.  The village doctors tried to cure her, but soon she died.  Deeply saddened by her loss, Kongi was comforted by her loving father." Time went by, and soon he told his daughter that it was time for him to remarry.  He had found a woman he liked, with a girl just Kongi's age, he said. The wedding ceremony was held, and Kongi tried her best to be polite to her new stepmother and stepsister. But when she met Doki, the mother, and Potgi, her daughter, the mother just stared, but her daughter, "glared at her coldly, which made her uneasy.  'What a fine family we'll be!' said Kongi's father, all seemed to agree."  For a few days it was alright.  Then, when Kongi's father went out to work, his new wife said to Kongi," Stop dreaming! I'll certainly not be your servant."  When her father came home, the woman criticized his daughter severely.  "Shocked, he begged his wife to be more understanding. But when his pleas went unanswered, he said no more, hoping to keep peace in his household."  Instead, things got much worse.  Before long, the girl had been pushed from her own comfortable bed to the kitchen, and assigned the heaviest chores.  Every day she had to drag a gigantic pile of dirty laundry to the river, then wash it, all by herself . The other ladies of the village disapproved, saying to each other, "Her stepmother makes her work far too hard."  So gentle was Kongi's nature that she did not complain, even to these friendly women. During planting season, it was true that Potgi had to work in the fields, just as Kongi did.  But she chose the soft field near the river, and Kongi had to work on the rocky side of the hill.   She dared not come home without weeding the field, but after toiling all morning, she had barely made a dent in the work.  She sat down to cry, and that's when she heard a voice.  It said, "Mmmoo, don't worry.  I'll help you!" It was an ox, who had not been there an instant before. "He told her to rest, and gave her a juicy apple to eat."  Before Kongi had finished eating it, the big ox had cleared all of the rocks from the soil.  All of this time, Potgi and her mean mother were passing the time in shopping. They sampled cool drinks, nibbled from snacks, and said to one another, "Oh dear, it's getting late and Kongi's work is still not done." They laughed spitefully, and her stepmother began to plan her punishment.  But all of a sudden, Kongi stood before them, "with a big basket of apples."  Now Doki questioned her sharply, and Kongi said, "A kind ox stopped to help me.  He even gave me these apples that I've brought to share with you. " The two did not believe her, yet there was no denying that the work was done.  Soon the time of the Spring Festival was at hand.  Everyone in the village was making plans to go.  But Kongi's mother forbade it.  She planned that the girl would work, filling the family's water cisterns while everyone was away.  The girl hauled bucket after bucket to the huge jars.  No matter how many she poured in, it never seemed to become full.  She looked over the top, and saw why: the big jar was cracked.  Once again, she began to cry.  Then she heard a voice! It said, "Rrrribbit! I will help you, Kongi!"  The voice belonged to a chubby little toad.  It jumped right into the jar, puffed itself up, and plugged the hole. "How lucky I am to have such good friends." thought Kongi.  She was happy, because now she, too, could go to the festival.  She went, and had a marvelous time. There was dancing, and music, and so many flowers, and kinds of sweets!  Several years passed, and both Kongi and her stepsister began to think of marriage.  Then an exciting announcement came, from the palace.  "The prince was seeking a bride, and a great party would be held in his honor."  The village rejoiced, and all of the young women began to make preparations.  Such a bustle of new dresses, new hairstyles, and new shoes made of straw, the ones called gyeep shin. Doki spared no expense in helping Potgi beautify herself.  Kongi was told that she could not go.  Instead, when the big day came, Doki "told Kongi to take the bundles of grain from the bin, let the rice dry, and remove each kernel of rice from its hard, outer shell. 'When the rice jar is full, you make come to the palace." said this hateful woman.  Then she and her daughter swished away.  Kongi tried to obey.  She began to sprinkle the rice kernels out to dry, but there was so much of it. "Suddenly, a hundred little sparrows encircled her, singing.  'Chirp, chirp! Don't cry, Kongi, We will help you, then off to the palace you'll go!"  Before her very eyes, she saw them "use their beaks to peck out the grain, and flapped their wings to carry the hulls away in the breeze." In just a short time, the rice jar was full.  Now a new thought came to Kongi: how in the world could she hope to go to the palace, dressed in dirty rags? "Just then, a brilliant rainbow filled the sky, and radiant angels drifted down from the clouds.  Kongi was sure that she must be dreaming.  They dressed her in the finest silks and the loveliest shoes, embroidered with the tiniest of stitches.  Suddenly, four men carrying a sedan chair appeared in the yard" to carry her to the ball. So Kongi arrived at the palace in such splendor that the guests became silent  as she entered.  Then all began to question at once.  "What is your name?' 'What village do you come from?"  Kongi got so nervous that she could not speak.  Instead, she began to run, and before she knew it, she was out of the palace doors, running past the lotus blossoms in the pool, and out on the street.  The prince had followed her out.  "Suddenly, something caught his eye.  A jewellike slipper, finer than any he had seen, lay before him.  He knew at once that it must belong to the mysterious young woman."  When her stepmother and stepsister got home, they found her asleep in the kitchen.  She pretended not to hear when they said, "What a shame you couldn't go, Kongi."  Soon, the prince made an announcement that all of the young ladies in town must line up to try on the shoe he had found.  "As each presented her foot, it appeared that the slipper was just her size.  But that wasn't the case.  'That shoe is surely enchanted!" cried out the girls, each disappointed because it did not fit.  Then Doki said, "That shoe belongs to my daughter, Potgi." She tried to cram the foot into it, and nearly tore the slipper in two. "Next!' cried the groom.  Doki tried to push Kongi away. 'You are wasting your time!' she cried, to no avail." And when Kongi tried the shoe, it fitted her foot exactly.  That's when she pulled the other one out of her sleeve. "The prince was overjoyed to have found his princess.  The villagers celebrated the news of their wedding." Now it was time for  Doki and Potgi to beg the pardon of Kongi.  They had treated her badly, they said, and knew it well.  So forgiving was her nature that she "welcomed them warmly, and forgave them their unkindness. Her father could not have been more proud."  When Kongi became Queen, she served her subjects well.  This was because she "had learned to be patient, humble, and kind." She lived in peace and comfort for the rest of her life. 

From Han, O.S. & Plunkett, S. H. Kongi and Potgi: A Cinderella Story from Korea.  New York: Dial Books for Young Readers: Kongi and Potgi: A Cinderella Story from Korea

Notes: It is interesting to compare this version with the one that Shirley Climo has researched and published as Pear Blossom.  There too, the girl is aided by an ox, a frog, and sparrows.  Neither story has any retribution for the stepmother and daughter, as the character of the Cinderella girl is very forgiving. 
Montessori Connection: Natural History of Korea
1. Read this story, and write down which animals help Kongi. 
2. Read Shirley Climo's Korean Cinderella, Pear Blossom. 
3. Learn more about exactly what kind of ox, which species of toad, and the specifics of the sparrows that helped Kongi: A Field Guide to the Birds of Korea or Some reptiles and amphibians from Korea (University of Kansas publications. Museum of Natural History) 
4. Learn more about Korea: How to Draw South Korea's Sights and Symbols (A Kid's Guide to Drawing Countries of the World) or Letters from Korea: A Story of the Korean War (Kids' World)

Cinderella # 34, The Korean Cinderella (1993)

Heller, R. 

Lunar New Year February 3, 2011
 The Year of the Rabbit

Once upon a time, in Korea, “when magical creatures were as common as cabbages, there lived an old gentleman and his wife. For years they longed for a child to share their tile-roofed cottage. At last, a daughter was born. ‘Good fortune!’ the old man exclaimed, ‘I’ll plant a pear tree in the courtyard to celebrate this day! ‘ And Pear Blossom will be her name. '  the old woman added. “ As the years passed, the girl and the tree grew taller. The old woman tended the child carefully, adorning her hair for each season. In spring, when white blossoms appeared, Pear Blossom wore a white ribbon. In summer, when the pears were luscious and ripe, she wore a ribbon of “rosy gold”. In autumn, “ when leaves from the tree blew about the courtyard like scraps of sunshine”, her mother made her a sunny, yellow dress. “But one day, when the branches on the tree were still bear sticks, the old woman died.” The old man cried out loud. Some time later, he “went to the village matchmaker. She knew of a widow with a daughter.”  This girl was the same age as his Pear Blossom, and the matchmaker said, “ Three in one! A wife for you, and a mother and a sister for Pear Blossom.” They were married, and Pear Blossom learned to call her father’s new wife, “ Omoni, or Mother”, but the woman did not act like one. And her  new sister, though her name was Peony, was no pretty flower. They both treated her like a servant. “ To cold!” one called, and then when Pear Blossom had stoked the fire “until the lid on the kettle danced from steam” her stepmother screehed, “ Too hot! The noodles are scorching!” and sent her out to fetch water. And so her life went, hard work from daybreak until midnight, “with only the crickets for company.” Years passed, and one day, Omoni thought of a way to get rid of her stepdaughter. The girl was dressed in rags now, with only an old rope around her hair. They called her Little Pig, or sometimes, Pigling. Now Omoni ordered Pigling to fill a huge water quickly, and when Pear Blossom pointed to the large crack, and the hole in the bottom, her stepmother said, “ Stubborn little pigs get tied up and taken to market!” and stalked away. “Pear Blossom leaned against the tall jar. ‘Will none in this world help me?’she asked. ‘Jug-jug-jug!’ rumbled a hoarse voice.’ ‘A tokgabi!’ Pear Blossom gasped. ‘ A goblin!’. “ But it wasn’t, only a frog who squeezed himself right into the hole in the bottom. And Pear Blossom filled the jar and went home. But when Omani saw her, she said, “ Off to market Little Pig!”, thinking the girl had failed. When she saw the full jar, and heard that a frog had helped Pear Blossom, Peony peered into the jar. All she saw was her scowl reflected back, but suddenly the water flooded from the jar and soaked her! Now Omani forced Pear Blossom to “ crawl through the puddles, licking up the water.” The next day, it was a sack of rice that Omani scattered in the yard, telling Pear Blossom to gather it all. And when the girl called for help, “ a flock of sparrows flew out of the trees, calling,’Cheer! Cheer! Cheer!’ and pecked at the rice, separating husk from kernel. “ But when Peony came out, the sparrows tore her hair. As punishment for the birds actions, Pear Blossom was starved. Not allowed to eat herself, forced to fix food for the family to take to the big festival. All the  while her hateful stepmother taunted her, “ Dirty-Piglet-Stay-At-Home!” and told her she now must “weed the rice paddies.” And when Pear Blossom tried to obey, she saw so much rice growing that it, “rippled before her like a great, green, lake. “ Ohh, she moaned with misery. That’s when “ a whirlwind twisted through the fields and a huge black ox reared up from a cloud of dust. ‘Do-o-o-!’ it bellowed, tossing its great horns.” Before she knew it, the ox had weeded the paddies, and left her a basket “filled with fruit and honey candy.” Off she went to the festival. Just as she was entering the village, a commotion behind her made her jump. She was so startled, that her straw sandal fell off into the stream. When she ran to get it, the magistrate shouted. He, in his fine litter, was the source of commotion, and when he saw the lovely girl lose her shoe, and then saw the shoe floating down the stream past him, he called for his litter to stop. He retrieved the sandal and gazed after the girl with the black hair and basket of fruit. But Pear Blossom ran on to the festival, and spent the day marveling at acrobats and  musicians, and the brightly colored flags and banners. At day’s end, as the girl was eating her last orange, Omoni and Peony suddenly came upon her. They called her a thief, and shouted that she must have stolen the fruit, and now here came the magistrate! His noblemen came before him, holding up Pear Blossom’s straw sandal, calling for the girl who had lost it. Motioning to show them where she was,  Omani gleefully told her stepdaughter, “ Now you’ll get what you deserve” and shook her hard. But the magistrate saw Pear Blossom and said, “ Then she must deserve me as her husband, for this lucky shoe has led me to her.” And no matter how Omani tried, she could not change his mind. Now Peony ran to find the magic ox, but “ All she saw was a glimpse of its hooves as it galloped away. When springtime came, the magistrate sent a go-between to Pear Blossom’s old father to arrange a grand marriage. Pear Blossom’s wedding slippers were made of silk, and in the courtyard of her splendid new house, a dozen pear trees bloomed.” 

Climo, S. & Heller, R. The Korean Cinderella

Notes: This is a retelling of the tale, "that is based on three variations" of the story told in Korea. The language is vivid and beautiful, and the animals that come to Pear Blossoms aid are classic Cinderella helpers: a frog, little birds, and an ox. (Many European variations have the girl receive aid from a cow, of the same family.) Illustrations are brilliantly colored and a marvelous jump-off point for art follow-ups. But: The story features a truly vicious stepmother, who used humiliation and starvation as tactics against a child. I must question why she is let off punishment in this version? This is what  Bettelheim says, " In the traditional fairy tale, the hero is rewarded and the evil person meets his well deserved fate, thus satisfying the child's deep need for justice to prevail. How else can a child hope that justice will be done to him, who so often feels unfairly treated?" (The Uses of Enchantment, p 144). As a teacher who puts justice for children before all, I want to see Omoni go through it! Why not send her out to the rice paddies, with no lunch, to get some weeding done? It is this phenomenon of rewriting fairy tales to make them more palatable for modern children that sometimes takes away a crucial element. If children are tough enough to hear about Pear Blossom's barbaric treatment, they can handle a deserved unpleasant fate for her abuser. Other Korean Cinderellas to read include: Pigling: A Cinderella Story: a Korean Tale (Graphic Universe); Korean Cinderella; and  Congjui & Potjui (Korean Cinderella. Korean Folktales). 

Montessori Connection 6-12: A. Rice, a lesson by Sister Christina Trudeau, SND; Ed.D., included in Curriculum for the Cosmic Plan of Education and Environmental Studies. Or, B. Biology: pear trees. Zoology: Animals of the Chinese Zodiac, including the ox. C. Zoology: Amphibians/Anura/frogs. Amazing Frogs & Toads (Eyewitness Juniors), or Amphibian (DK Eyewitness Books).