Bride of the Water God - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Bride of the Water God is a manhwa

Manhwa

Manhwa is the general Korean term for comics and print cartoons . Outside of Korea, the term usually refers specifically to South Korean comics. The term, along with manga, is a cognate of the Chinese manhua...

by Yun Mi-kyung

Yun Mi-kyung

Yun Mi-kyung is a South Korean manhwa artist best known her work Bride of the Water God.- Career :Yun received the silver medal in the New Artist Debut Competition for her work Na-eu Ji-gu Bang-moon-gi in 2003.She received a Best New Artist award from the Dokja Manwha prize organization for...

Story Summary

Soah is a girl from a small village suffering from a long, devastating drought. In order to appease the Water God, the most beautiful girl from the village must be sacrificed. Soah is chosen to become Habaek's bride, but instead of dying at the hands of a monster, she is unexpectedly rescued by Habaek and brought to his Kingdom.

As Soah learns to live in a strange new world filled with gods, she is caught up in various intrigues surrounding Habaek and finds it increasingly difficult to know whom she can trust. In the midst of such trouble, she finds she has fallen in love with Mui, unaware that he is the true form of Habaek.

Main characters

Soah (소아)

A girl from a small village chosen as the sacrifice to please the Water God, Habaek. When she was a child, she was prophesized to love two men in her life. She finds herself attracted to Mui, who she believes is Habaek's cousin, unaware that Habaek and Mui are the same person. Soah refers to herself as a false bride; it is revealed that her father sold her to take the place of another girl intended for sacrifice. Her uncertainty towards Mui and fear of trusting him results in her becoming a pawn for the emperor of the gods to use against Habaek. She learns the true circumstances behind her husband's curse when Habaek's father actually sends her into the past to see for herself how Habaek is cursed by Nakbin to take the form of a child by day, but is unable to learn how to break the curse. Although with Mura out of the way she now has access to the Peach from the Divine Orchard tree (Bando), she no longer wants to consume it to become a God. This is because she hears the story of a goddess who turned her human lover into a God, but killed him with her own hands because he became insane due to his weak human mind.

Habaek (Hangul

Hangul

Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...

: 하백, Hanja

Hanja

Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...

: 河伯 (Hébó); lit. Count of River)

The Water God, a temperamental deity who has not allowed rain to fall in Soah's village for many years. He is a child by day (Habaek) and an adult (Mui) by night, with his powers being reduced in the presence of heat or sunlight. Habaek is able to use pools of water to see anything as long as it is reflected in the water. Soah recognizes the child as her husband, but is unaware of his transformations; Habaek, unable to explain, introduces his adult self as Habaek's cousin, Mui. Despite his unpredictable nature, he is actually kindhearted, which has caused trouble for him in the past. He was deeply in love with his first wife, Nakbin; his lingering feelings for her become increasingly troublesome as he falls in love with Soah.

The Water Country

Hoo-ye (후예)

The commander of the Water Kingdom, also famed for being the best archer in the realm of gods. He appears to be loyal to Habaek, particularly after an unspoken incident involving Nakbin in the past. However, as of Volume 5, he appears to be under a 'contract' of some sort with the Emperor, concerning Soah. On her arrival in the Water Kingdom, Soah at first mistakes him for the Water God, and later comes to rely on him as a confidante and friend, which makes Habaek jealous, more so since Hoo-ye is attracted to her. Though Habaek seems to trust him, the Water God is well-aware that Hoo-ye previously served the Emperor. He is later revealed to be Nakbin's brother and also the son of the Emperor. Because he loved Nakbin dearly, he is tricked into believing that Habaek is responsible for Nakbin's death, though in truth, Nakbin had actually killed herself.

After Soah is captured by the emperor, she is reintroduced to Habaek as Hoo-ye's betrothed in the Imperial Country until she is abducted by Bi Ryeom and Ju-dong. When Hoo-ye arrives at the Lunar Palace to abduct Dong-Wang-Kong, he attempts to take Soah away. He realizes his love for her is unrequited when she refuses to leave with him and that their relationship parallels the emperor's own love for Suh-wang-mo. However, Hoo-ye sees his father's actions to be destroying himself, rather than destroying Suh-wang-mo, whom he wanted to destroy because he can't have her.

Mura (무라)

The Witch of Chung Yo Mountains, who resides in the Water Kingdom and is knowledgeable with herbs and potions. She is in love with Habaek, who referred to her as a "goddess" out of kindness; however, because her love is unreciprocated, she resents Soah. She is especially adverse to Yeo-wa when she appears in the Water Kingdom with Nakbin's appearance. Mura was previously involved in schemes with the Emperor against Habaek and her loyalties remain ambiguous. Like several characters, she seems to know more than she is willing to tell Soah and appears to have her own agenda. Later on, Mura burned down the Peach Tree of the Divine Orchard, a tree that could give immortality. She intentionally picks the last fruit, so that Habaek would look for her. Though she asks Habaek to kill her when they met, she instead dies at Bi Ryeom's hand, whom she requested to kill her knowing that Habaek would not have the heart to.

Ju-dong (주동)

The God of Fire. He loves everything that is cute. He once stole a peach from Suh-wang-mo's garden 400 years ago. In the Emperor's war against Shin Nong, Ju-dong had hoped to be on the opposite side of Habaek in order to learn if he was stronger than Habaek. In the present, he appears to be allied with Habaek and also Bi Ryeom; with the latter, Ju-dong makes an attempt to escape the Emperor's palace with Habaek, but the gods are forced to leave with only Soah.

Yo-hee (요희)

A goddess who is friendly to, and very fond of, Soah, going to the extent of rebuking Habaek for sending her away without warning and going to see her without taking anyone else along. Although she appears and behaves like an immature child, she is several thousand years old and is actually Shin Nong's mother. As a result, she is one of the few beings who are aware of the methods to reach the Moon Palace. She is actually the mother of both Shin Nong and the current Emperor of the Gods; however, she refuses to become involved in the struggle between them.

Tae-eul-jin-in (Hangul

Hangul

: 태을진인, Hanja

Hanja

: 太乙真人 (Tàiyǐ Zhēnrén))

A doctor and inventor in the Water Kingdom, a relatively recent inhabitant to the realm. He appears cordial and at times comic, but is perceptive and secretive. He appears to have his own motives regarding Habaek and Mura warns Soah not to trust Tae-eul-jin-in so readily. It is revealed that he is the one who taught Nakbin how to put the curse on Habaek and only the person who placed the curse may be the one to lift it. Thus every year, a bride is sacrificed so that the reincarnated Nakbin would be able to return to the water country and lift the curse. Habaek knows that if he demands this sacrifices from humans, he will be thought of as an evil god and be hated by the people. Nevertheless, Habaek is willing to bear the condemnation in order to see Nakbin again. To make sure that only brides who are Nakbin will enter the water kingdom, Tae-eul-jin-in has erected a barrier that so that any brides who are not Nakbin will not be able to enter but perish in the waves. This causes Soah to wonder how is it that she was able to enter the Water Country, despite the fact she is not Nakbin's reincarnation.

Suh-wang-mo, Yanghee (Hangul

Hangul

: 서왕모, Hanja

Hanja

: 西王母 (Xiwangmu))

The Queen Mother of the West and the Goddess of Death, she is Habaek's mother, a beautiful woman who is centuries old. She is the Goddess of Punishment, Torture, and Disease, though ironically, she is also the Goddess of Love and Beauty. Her vast lands contain the Divine Orchard, where a rare peach tree grows with fruit that can grant a human 18 000 years of life. Habaek also does not appear to get along with her, though she seems to only want her son to be happy and wishes to protect him from the Emperor at all costs, even suggesting to the Emperor that she would bring him the life of Shin Nong, the previous emperor, if he would let her son go. In her youth, she and the Emperor had been companions because their powers tended to ostracize them; it is implied that the Emperor had loved her, though Suh-wang-mo fell in love with Dong Wang Kong instead. She has a rather absent minded servant named Cheong Jo.

Yook-oh (육오)

A grandfatherly butler who serves the Water God. He previously served Habaek's mother.

The Imperial Country

The Emperor (황제, Hwangjae)

The current Emperor of the Gods, known by the name Hunwon, and referred to as Shin Nong's younger brother. He first appears in the guise of the dead Nakbin, shocking Soah, who thought that Nakbin had returned. In a later chapter he expresses interest in Soah, going so far as to snatch her out of Hoo-ye's arms. Hoo-ye is seemingly bound to him by a contract that concerns handing Soah over to the Emperor, though Habaek, as her husband, prevents him from taking Soah. He is eventually revealed to be the father of Hoo-ye and Nakbin and had previously been close to Habaek's mother before she married Dong Wang Kong. He schemes to obtain Habaek for the sake of winning a war against Shin Nong, a god who favours humans, while the Emperor despises them.

Despite his cruel capriciousness, the Emperor's bitterness towards others appears to stem from how he would inevitably become distanced from others he cared about. After he believes that his mother, Yo-hee, has rejected in favour and saving Shin Nong, he befriends Suh-wang-mo because of their mutual loneliness. He falls in love with her, but is disappointed that she does not reciprocate or take him seriously, instead falling in love with Dong Wang Kong. When Habaek's affinity with water is revealed when he was a child, it had been suggested that Habaek be killed so that his power would not weaken the Fire Gods'. Habaek's mother insisted that she would protect her son at all costs and as a result, Shin Nong declared that no Fire God is allowed to hurt Habaek. Due to this divine, unbreakable covenant that Shin Nong put in effect, the Emperor desires to use Habaek against the Fire gods. Furthermore, knowing that Suh-wang-mo would do anything to protect her son, the Emperor intends to use her against Dong Wang Kong and Shin Nong.

Banwing (반왕)

A masked messenger who serves the Emperor. He wears a mask as a result of Hoo-ye attacking him in the past after Banwing presented a message to Habaek and threatened the Water God and his wife. He has made repeated indirect attempts to capture Soah, including going along with the schemes of Yeo-wa.

Nakbin (낙빈)

Habaek's first love - she is the very reason why every year, a bride must be sacrificed to Habaek. When she died, Habaek promised that he would return to her, no matter what her form is once she reincarnated. She was revealed to be the very first human that Habaek met, and with her young age, the water god promised himself that she is to become his bride. When she was alive, she often told Habaek about the surprise lily which symbolizes a hopeful but tragic fate of lovers. Hoo-Ye cared for her as she was his sister and she was very attached to him, though she despised humans for using Hoo-ye. While it is suggested that she willingly agreed to marry Habaek as part of Emperor's plans in exchange for saving Hoo-ye from death, her love for Habaek appeared to be genuine, in spite of her stating otherwise. Tired of being a pawn and unwilling to kill Habaek, Nakbin cursed him so that his power would diminish during the day so he won't be used against the fire gods. Nakbin apparently died long ago, though those bearing her appearance continue to appear before Habaek.

She later appears at the Emperor's palace, alive only due to the Emperor's magic; her body cannot be sustained outside the Imperial Country. While the Emperor supposed that Habaek's great love for Nakbin will force him to remain in the Imperial Country, Habaek reveals to Nakbin that while he loves her, she is not his soul mate tied by the red-string. Angered, Nakbin declares that Habaek should have lied to her, and that she would never undo the curse even if she was born again. She rids herself of the spell sustaining her life and she tells Habaek that he is responsible for miserable continuing existence is him, wishing that Habaek had been able to let her go sooner, even though he knew she had been long dead.

Yeo-wa (여와)

A crude-mannered woman sacrificed to Habaek as a bride and is rescued by Mui only at Soah's request, Yeo-wa schemes to get rid of Soah and take Habaek for herself. It was originally intended that she, not Soah, was to be sacrificed to Habaek; when she is sacrificed later, the Emperor gave her Nakbin's appearance to use her against Habaek. However, she genuinely falls in love with Habaek and begins to think she is truly Nakbin, but is eventually killed when she outlives her usefulness.

Mok-rang (목랑)

A young woman whose ability to see the future through her dreams awakened when she was a child. In one dream, she met Habaek, who recognized her as a shaman of water and revealed that he intended to marry Nakbin and that a terrible storm would strike her village. It implied that the Emperor manipulated her into forcing the people of her village to sacrifice Nakbin to Habaek in order to gain Nakbin's loyalty. Mok-rang initially appears as an attendant to the Emperor, going by the name Chunhoo, and holds a grudge against Habaek for apparently causing the deaths of her father and fellow villagers. She is unquestionably loyal to the emperor, but hot-headed and often does not see beyond what appears before her.

The Moon Palace

Ban Chun Geun, Bi Ryeom (반천근, 비렴)

The God of the Winds and ruler of the West Side Forest, who rescues Soah and Mui when they are stranded in the mountains. He lives in exile for opposing the Emperor in the past. Bi Ryeom is an old acquaintance of Mura, drawn to her by the kindness she showed him when she believed him to be an injured animal. He comes to the Water Kingdom to fulfill a promise Mura had asked of him - to help Habaek as she had helped him. He seems to have feelings for her, though is aware of Mura's unrequited love for Habaek. Despite the risk, Bi Ryeom follows Mura to the Emperor's palace in order to warn Habaek that Soah has been captured by the Emperor. However, when Habaek does not appear to recall Soah and Bi Ryeom is eventually caught by the Emperor, Bi Ryeom stages an elaborate escape and takes Soah with him. He watches over Soah at the Lunar Palace and helps her reconcile with Habaek, and later accompanies them to the Chung Yo Mountains to confront Mura. When Habaek refuses to kill Mura at her request, Bi Ryeom does so instead, to fulfill Mura's last request for him. As Mura lies dying, he reveals his face for the first time, which he once told her would remained concealed unless someone was dying. With Mura's death, he kills himself.

Yeom Jae, Shin Nong (염재, 신농)

The God of Agriculture and the previous Emperor of the Gods, as the most powerful god. He loves humans and gods equally, which eventually resulted in Hunwon gathering divinities opposed to Shin Nong and overthrowing him. Once Mui's power over water emerged, Shin Nong granted him the title "Habaek" as the God of Water. However, since Shin Nong's own affinity is toward fire, he and his allies retreated to the Moon Palace, where as gods possessing the power of fire, they are strongest. When Hoo-ye attempts to take Soah, he reveals himself and lets Hoo-ye leave the Lunar palace. He tells Habaek he never intended to meet him in the first place, and is too weak to fight against Hunwon now. He and the current emperor are brothers, but their very natures are opposite and it has been foretold that they will destroy each other.

Dong Wang Kong, Busang (동왕공, 부상)

The Lord King of the East and the God of Birth and Spring. He is Habaek's father, as well as Shin Nong's closest and dearest friend. Because of his own affinity to fire and his decision to ally with Shin Nong, he has separated from his wife and child, and Habaek has long since believed his father has died. Despite his strong resemblance to Habaek, his temperament is entirely different - Dong Wang Kong is gentle and lax-mannered and has had few encounters with humans. When Hoo-ye comes to the Lunar palace to take Soah away, Mok-rang tries tricking Dong Wang Kang into going back to see Suh-wang-mo. Although he sees through the lie, he goes to where she is anyway to see her one last time.

Source

The story of the god Habaek is one of the oldest myths in Korea and tells of the god of the great Yalu River. There are two well known stories involving Habaek, one detailed in Bride of the Water God revealed in the memories of Habaek and Hoo-yee and the second regarding the eldest of Habaek's three daughters, Yuhwa

Yuhwa

Yuhwa was known as the mother of King Dongmyeong, the first king and the founder of the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, Goguryeo. She was the daughter of the Habaek river god.-Overview:...

.

There exist another similar story in China, where a court official Xi Menqing (西门庆）stopped the yearly sacrificial ritual to the river god

River God

River God is a novel by author Wilbur Smith. It tells the story of the talented eunuch slave Taita, his life in Egypt, the flight of Taita along with the Egyptian populace from the Hyksos invasion, and their eventual return. The novel can be grouped together with Wilbur Smith's other books on...

(河伯) by exposing the ritual as a fraud

Fraud

In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...

by the village head.

External links

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