Korean Folktale : Heungbu and Nolbu

🍂 Korean Folktale Series 5

“Heungbu and Nolbu”

(흥부와 놀부 · Heungbu wa Nolbu)

---

🕰️ 1. The Story

Long ago, there were two brothers with very different hearts. Heungbu, the younger, was poor but kind, while Nolbu, the elder, was wealthy but greedy and cruel.

 

One spring, Heungbu found a swallow with a broken leg. Out of compassion, he carefully tended to the bird until it healed. In gratitude, the swallow brought Heungbu a gourd seed. When he planted it, the gourd grew enormously, and upon its opening, it revealed treasures that lifted Heungbu’s family out of poverty.

 

Hearing of this, Nolbu grew envious. He deliberately broke a swallow’s leg, then feigned help, expecting the same reward. The bird brought him gourd seeds, but when Nolbu opened his gourds, they contained snakes, goblins, and disasters that destroyed his wealth.

 

In the end, Nolbu realized his mistake, and the brothers reconciled, living peacefully together.

---

🪄 2. Meaning & Lesson

The tale of Heungbu and Nolbu reflects:

• The virtue of kindness and compassion.
• The destructive nature of greed and envy.
• The belief that good deeds bring blessings, while selfishness leads to ruin.

---

👀 3. Example from Life

• A person who helps others sincerely often receives unexpected rewards.
• Those who act out of greed or mere imitation without true kindness may invite misfortune.
• In modern life, it reminds us that genuine goodwill, rather than exploitation, creates harmony.

---

🌏 4. Similar Tales Around the World

• 🇯🇵 Japan: The Tongue-Cut Sparrow, where kindness to a sparrow brings rewards, while cruelty leads to punishment.
• 🇨🇳 China: Folktales of virtuous peasants rewarded by animals they saved.
• 🇪🇺 Europe: Fables where greed is punished and kindness rewarded, such as Aesop’s stories.

---

💬 A Warm Saying

“Greed may build wealth for a moment,
but kindness builds happiness that lasts.”

---

📌 Note

This is a creative cultural content from the Misojieum Story Blog (kor-telling.com).
Please do not copy without permission.
Sharing is welcome with proper source citation.