Dokkaebi, Goblins of Mirth
Born from possessed objects, dokkaebi roam night roads with spiky hats and magic clubs (bangmangi). They love riddles and wrestling, rewarding wit while punishing greed.
Story beats
- 1) An old broom or pot gains a spirit, becoming a dokkaebi with horns and a grin.
- 2) They approach travelers, demanding games: riddles, ssireum (wrestling), or jokes.
- 3) Honest or clever people receive riches from the dokkaebi’s club; liars get beaten or cursed.
- 4) A dokkaebi can be banished by blood or ash, but tricking it is safer and earns its favor.
Context & symbolism
Dokkaebi celebrate humor as justice. Their origin in worn tools honors the life of objects; misuse or neglect may invite spirits. Bangmangi clubs flip fortune at a whim, warning against greed.
They blur guardian and menace, teaching resilience and quick thinking.
Motifs
- Object-born spirits
- Tests by laughter
- Magic wishing club
- Trickster guardians of roads
Use it in play
- Win a dokkaebi’s club in a riddle duel to change your fortunes.
- Appease roadside goblins to protect a caravan at night.
- Break a curse by returning a neglected tool to the dokkaebi it became.
- Host a dokkaebi festival; pranks abound, but so do rewards.
Comparative threads
- Trickster rivals: Kitsune games, Irish pooka bargains.
- Haunted objects: Tsukumogami in Japan, possessed dolls.
Hooks and campaign seeds
- A dokkaebi laughs only at sorrow; restore its humor to lift a curse.
- Bandits impersonate dokkaebi; expose them before they ruin real spirits.
- A broken bangmangi causes chaos—every wish half-granted. Fix it.