Jeon Woo-chi
Jeon Woo-chi(Hangul: 전우치; Hanja: 田禹治, 14?? ~ 15??) was a taoist sorcerer during Joseon dynasty in Korea. Most well-known sorcerer in Korean history, and representative trickster from old Korean literature. His pen name was Woosa (Hangul: 우사; Hanja: 羽士), which means "featherman".[1] Bon-gwan was Namyang, where is today's Namyang town, Hwaseong city, Gyeonggi Province.[2] Though he was taoist heretic, he studied confucianism under Seo Gyeong-deok.
According to Complete Works from Azure Residence by Yi Deok-moo, when Jeon was very yong, he went to mountain temple to study in quiet surrounding. One day, the rice wine brewed in temple vanished. The monks scolded Jeon about drinking wine. Jeon was aggrieved and upset, so he decided to hunt down the true criminal. He waited beside the wine jugs until twilight. At dusk, a nine-tailed fox came out from forest and drank herself drunk. Jeon teared out and tied up by rope. A fox proposed her grimoire for releasing her. Jeon accepted that and became sorcerer through studying fox's grimoire.[3]
In other story from one of versions(Ilsamungo-version) of Tale of Jeon Woo-chi, young Jeon and fox(who was in the shape of woman) loved each other. One day while they kissed each other, fox's magical marble went into Jeon's mouth from hers, and he swallowed it. Then she, abashed, ran away from him and he absorbed the marble's power so he became sorcerer.
According to Unofficial History of the East Land, one day in between 1522 and 1566, Yi Gil's farm(where is today's Bupyeong District) was troubled with epidemic, so Yi's serfs and neighbors fell ill in bed. Then Jeon visited Yi and expel a disease.[4]
As he was taoist heretic, somewhat similar to anarchistic, there are some legends that Jeon salt down and screw over dynasty government and king. By one acconunt, he ended up with being caught and put to execution. Some time after, Cha Sick, who was Jeon's alumnus under Seo Gyeong-deok, was visited by Jeon. Jeon borrowed Cha Anthology of Du Fu and went away. Cha had known nothing about Jeon's death, so he talked about this to other alumni. Surprised, they dig up Jeon's tomb and opened the coffin but there was no body in the coffin.