Korean Folktale : The Tears of the Dutiful Daughter Ji-eun

💧 Korean Folktale Series 46

“The Tears of the Dutiful Daughter Ji-eun”

(효녀 지은의 눈물 · Hyonyeo Ji-eun-ui Nunmul)

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🕰️ 1. The Story

Long ago, in a quiet village near a mountain stream, there lived a kind young woman named Ji-eun, who cared for her blind mother. Their home was poor, but filled with warmth and laughter. Each morning, Ji-eun fetched water, cooked rice, and guided her mother’s hands to the sunlight so she could feel the warmth of day.

 

One year, a terrible drought struck the land. Rivers dried up, crops withered, and hunger spread through the valley. Ji-eun walked miles to find even a drop of water for her mother, but every well she visited was dry. Desperate, she prayed at the mountain shrine to the Spirit of Rain (Ullimshin):

“Please, let rain fall—not for me, but for my mother, who has lived her life in kindness.”

The spirit did not answer. Days passed, and Ji-eun’s mother grew weaker. One night, under the pale moonlight, Ji-eun wept beside the dry streambed. Her tears fell upon the cracked earth—
and where they touched, the ground began to glisten.

 

A faint trickle of water appeared, then another, until a stream burst forth, flowing clear and strong. Ji-eun’s tears had become the spring of life that revived the entire village.

But Ji-eun, exhausted from her prayers, collapsed beside the water’s edge. When her mother awoke and found her daughter still, she cried out,

“My child, your love has brought me sight—but taken your life!”

As she wept, her vision slowly returned. The villagers later said that Ji-eun’s spirit had become the guardian of the spring. On quiet nights, when the moonlight ripples on the water, people say they can still see a young woman’s reflection—smiling gently as if to say,

“Love that gives all is never lost.”

The spring still flows in that valley, and locals call it Ji-eun’s Tears (Ji-eunui Nunmulsaem)—the well that never runs dry.

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🪄 2. Meaning & Lessons

• True love and devotion create miracles that outlast a lifetime.
• The heart that gives selflessly nourishes the world around it.
• Kindness offered without expectation becomes eternal.

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👀 3. Reflections in Life

• The purest tears are those shed for others, not for oneself.
• A single act of love can heal what despair has broken.
• Even in loss, love continues to flow—quietly, like water beneath the earth.

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🌏 4. Similar Tales Around the World

•  China — The Filial Daughter Meng Jiangnü
  A woman’s tears move heaven and earth, collapsing the Great Wall to find her lost husband.
•  Japan — The Tale of the Water Maiden
  A devoted girl’s sorrow brings life back to a dying river.
•  Italy — The Weeping Madonna Legend
  A mother’s tears become healing waters for those who believe in compassion.

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💬 A Warm Saying

“Tears born of love become rivers that never run dry.”

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📌 Note

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