A long, long time ago, there lived a king with six daughters. The king and his queen desperately wanted a son, as they needed a prince to succeed to the throne. They devotedly prayed for a son and, at last, the queen had a seventh child. To their disappointment, however, the newborn baby was a princess again. The king was depressed and even furious at the arrival of another daughter. He went as far as deserting the poor baby girl by putting her in a box made of jade and floating it on a stream. On the box was carved the baby’s name “Baridegi,” meaning an abandoned child.

Fortunately, the box carrying the baby princess was discovered by an old man and his wife who were passing by the stream. The childless couple decided to raise the baby since they guessed from her name that she was an abandoned child.

Years passed. Baridegi was now 15 years old. Thanks to her foster parents’ great care and devotion, she grew up as a beautiful and kind-hearted girl. Back in the royal court, meanwhile, the king fell sick. He tried every kind of medicine available, but nothing seemed to work. He became weaker and weaker. One day, in his dream, he was told that he was sick because he had abandoned his daughter a long time ago. The king was also told that the only cure would be holy water from the underworld and that it should be brought by the very princess he had deserted. So, the king ordered his officials to find the lost princess. This is how Princess Baridegi was reunited with her parents after 15 years. But what kind of daughter would dare to go to the underworld to save a cruel father who had once abandoned her?

Princess Baridego was different, though. Feeling sorry for her bedridden father, she set out on a journey beyond the world of the living to find the water of life. After a long and grueling journey, she finally reached the world of the dead. But nothing was free. In return for holy water, the king of the underworld requested that the princess collect firewood for three years, carry water for another three years and make fire for three years again. Without complaint, she diligently carried out the arduous work for nine years. The underworld king was impressed. He gladly gave her what she wanted, namely, life-saving water. The princess thanked the king and returned to the world of the living. Of course, she was bringing the water of life with her. She was immensely happy at the thought of reviving her father with the holy water.

But alas! When she arrived at the palace, the king had already died and his funeral was about to take place. But the princess never gave up. She hurriedly poured the life-giving water into the king’s mouth. Miraculously, the king came back to life. The father and the daughter embraced each other in joy.

After all, the once-abandoned princess was able to find true personal love and liberation by going back and forth between life and death. She later became a sort of goddess who comforted the spirit of dead people and controlled the underworld. In today’s Korean shaman rituals, Baridegi is regarded as a protecting deity.

Some say this heartwarming tale of love and sacrifice set a good example of perseverance and hope for people living in difficult times. The shamanistic myth surrounding the abandoned princess was revived in various art and performing genres, such as movies, dramas and dance. In 2007, renowned Korean novelist Hwang Sok-young recreated this traditional mythic tale of Princess Baridegi as a modern, international story. The new story is about a North Korean defector, a girl named Bari, who wandered around China and sneaked away on a ship bound for London.