Bulgasari, the Iron-Eater
Korean legend tells of a little creature made from grains of rice that ate iron. The more it ate, the bigger it grew, until no weapon could stop it.
What was reported
Bulgasari is a monster of Korean legend. In the best-known version, a monk hiding from persecution shaped a tiny creature out of rice grains, which came to life and began eating iron: needles, spoons, then pots, tools and weapons.
It grew enormous and unstoppable, since arrows and swords just fed it. Its name is sometimes read as 'impossible to kill'. In some tellings it's a protector against nightmares and evil; in others its rampage marks the fall of the Goryeo kingdom, whose capital was Kaesong.
Explanations offered
Bulgasari is a folk creature, probably borrowed from the Chinese mo, an iron-eating tapir-like beast. Iron-eating monsters may reflect the hardships of a time when iron was taken for war.
- When
- Told since the end of the Goryeo kingdom
- Where
- Kaesong, North Korea
- Witnesses
- Korean folklore
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.