The Jeju Island Mini Theme park is so biased. What is with that place? My technical high school bus trip rumbled into its parking lot on a cold, rainy morning. The students and I unenthusiastically dragged ourselves off of our seats and forced our feet to carry our bodies through the turnstiles.
The park is full of these tiny replicas of famous human creations - the Eiffel Tower is there, the Pyramids are there, the Great Wall of China is there … 42 buildings from Korea that no one has ever heard of are there.
There is also a pen containing several white deer – an animal that is special to Jeju because of the following legend (as taken from the display at the park):
“Long time ago, there lived a young hunter at the foot of Mt. Halla. Being a devoted son of filial piety, his wish was bringing his ailing mother back to health. One day, he heard form a traveler that a deer’s blood is the bast medicine for his mother’s illness. The next morning, the hunter rose early, bathed in the nearby stream and set out on his hunt for a deer. Having wandered all day searching for a deer, before he knew it, he had reached the top of Mt. Halla. There was a thick fog at the top of the mountain so it was difficult to see. However, he did not give up and finally he discovered a deer. It was a white deer. Ecstatic and excited, he pulled on his bow and arrow, but just as he was about to release his arrow, a white haired man appeared, grabbed the beer (!), and disappeared into the fog white the deer in his arms.”
Blah, blah, blah, young hunter of filial piety saves mother with water from white deer pond, yada yada yada, etc.
Reading this inscription made me wonder several things. Firstly, I had to question the levels of my own filial piety. I believe that my filial piety may be severly lacking. I also questioned the verbosity of the signage, which could have been shortened to this as far as I can tell:
Momma’s boy overheard that blood from a wild animal would cure his mom and not, in fact, give her rabies. Momma’s boy almost kills deer, but homeless old man storms from the forest and steals his beer. And his deer.
No wonder this deserved a display at the Jeju Mini Theme Park!
Lastly, this entire spectacle made me wonder what Arirang Television’s “On the Road” would have to say about The Legend of the White Deer:
Narrator: The dense fog clung tightly to the stark mountain like an undersized sweater. Filial piety was in the air, as was a hint of desperation. The only kind that can come from a hunt for the blood of a wild, possibly infectious animal. As I allowed the majesty of the scene to massage my eyes, I couldn’t help but wonder where that old guy had come from.
Young Hunter, Staring at Mountain: Come back with … my beer. And … my deer.