Duduri

Duduri (Korean: 두두리), also known by the variant name Dudueul (두두을), was a wood spirit (목신; 木神; moksin) or folk god that was worshipped in the Gyeongju region of southeastern Korea. The worship of Duduri is documented from the Silla dynasty through the mid-Goryeo dynasty, after which its cult faded into obscurity.

Unlike many folkloric monsters, Duduri was originally a tutelary deity to whom official rites were performed. Historical accounts link its worship to specific locations and powerful political figures. Many scholars consider Duduri to be a direct prototype or origin figure for the more widely known dokkaebi, the quintessential Korean goblin.

Origins

The name "Duduri" is a native Korean word, which was phonetically transcribed into Hanja as 豆豆里 or 豆豆乙. Its exact linguistic origin is uncertain. The cult of Duduri is believed to have originated in the Silla dynasty. The Sinjeung Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam (新增東國輿地勝覽), a 16th-century geographical treatise, records that a shrine to Duduri existed at a place called Wanggasu (왕가수; 王家藪), a forest located ten li south of Gyeongju, the ancient capital of Silla. The text notes that rites and sacrifices were offered to this wood spirit. This suggests that Duduri was an important local deity responsible for the well-being of the community and the forest.

The worship of Duduri appears to have vanished after the mid-Goryeo period. The devastation of the Gyeongju region during the Mongol invasions likely weakened the community that sustained the cult. Furthermore, the rise of Neo-Confucianism as the state ideology in the subsequent Joseon dynasty led to the systematic suppression of folk religions and shamanistic beliefs, causing many regional deities like Duduri to be forgotten.

Modern scholars of Korean folklore theorize that while the official cult of the named deity "Duduri" disappeared, its characteristics and stories were absorbed into the more generalized figure of the Dokkaebi. The belief that Duduri was a spirit born from an old tree aligns perfectly with one of the primary origin stories of Dokkaebi, who are said to be common objects (like brooms, pokers, or trees) that gain a soul over time. Duduri can therefore be seen as a specific, named, and historically documented ancestor of the anonymous, more mischievous Dokkaebi of later folklore.

Historical accounts

The worship of Duduri is mentioned in several key historical contexts during the Goryeo Dynasty, highlighting its transition from a local deity to a figure of national interest.

The most famous devotee of Duduri was Yi Ŭimin, a Goryeo military dictator who ruled from 1183 to 1196. Born into the slave class, Yi Ŭimin rose to the highest echelons of power through his immense physical strength and brutality. The Goryeosa (History of Goryeo) states that Yi Ui-min was a fervent worshipper of Duduri, believing the wood spirit was the source of his supernatural strength. It is said he made offerings to the spirit before making major political or military decisions. His enemies and critics often associated his tyrannical rule with his devotion to this "improper" folk deity.

Duduri appears again in the Goryeosa during the first Mongol invasions of Korea in 1231. As the Mongol army under General Saritai approached Gyeongju, a report was sent to the Goryeo court. The report claimed to be a message from the spirit of Duduri itself, stating that five Duduri spirits had come to fight the Mongols in their own camp. The spirit "requested" that the court send weapons and horses by the 18th of that month to aid in the fight. King Gojong and his top official, Ch'oe U, took the prophecy seriously. Ch'oe U privately sent an official with paintings of soldiers and horses as a ritual offering to the spirit. However, the chronicle drily notes that the divine intervention had no effect, and the Mongol invasion continued unabated.

In popular culture

In the 2003-2004 KBS historical drama Age of Warriors, a shamanistic character named Dudueul, played by Jeon Moo-song, appears as a key advisor to Yi Ŭimin, directly dramatizing the historical accounts of the dictator's reliance on the wood spirit.