The devil that possessed Kim Tae Ri in “Revenant” is a “taejagwi”?
The thriller “Revenant” (written by Kim Eun Hee) has been a hot topic these days. The drama started off with 9.9% in the first episode and achieved a double-digit rating in episode 2, heralding a creepy summer for the viewers. According to Nielsen Korea, the second broadcast of “Revenant” recorded 10.8% in the Seoul area with a real-time peak of 13.1%.
“Revenant” is a Korean-style occult mystery drama about a woman possessed by a devil and a man who can see the devil digging into mysterious deaths. San Young played by Kim Tae Ri, a public prosecutor who is preparing for the civil service exam, received a red danggi that her father left for her after he died and ended up getting possessed by the devil. Hae Sang (Oh Jung Se) is a folklore professor who can see spirits and gods so he tries to help San Young discover the identity of the devil.
As the two begin to search for the origin of the red danggi, known as the carrier of evil spirits, the story surrounding the danggi is revealed little by little. In the process, the viewers can easily recognize who the devil is. It’s a “taejagwi”.
Evidence already appeared in the drama. The booklet named “Daenggi” which San Young’s father Goo Kang Mo (Jin Sun Kyu), and grandmother Seok Ran (Ye Soo Jung) were looking into just before their deaths, contains the results of Kang Mo’s research on evil spirits. Among them, under “red danggi, jade binyeo, black rubber bands, blue pottery, and herb bottle” was a note that clearly stated, “The devil is a taejagwi”. On the preceding page, there was also a photo of Choi Man Wol, a shaman born in 1914, and related information. In other words, this moment flashing moment is a “spoiler” about the identity of the devil.
According to the Korean Folklore Encyclopedia, the term “taeju” refers to a shaman possessed by a baby who died young and became a ghost. Depending on the region, they are also called “taeja”. Recently, they are more commonly referred to as “aegidongja” or “sansindongja”. They are generally known as shamans possessed by the spirits of children who died of starvation or smallpox. Kang Mo in the drama concluded that the identity of the devil was a “taejagwi,” which combines the word “taeja” and “gwi (ghost)”.
The horrifying actions of Choi Man Wol (Oh Yeon Ah), who appeared at the end of the second episode, describe the appearance of “taejagwi” in more detail. Falling down in blue fabric, she seduced a girl with red raw meat then kill the child with a knife. The scene then transitioned to the image of the girl’s skinny hand, barely visible beneath the fabric, holding a red danggi with splatters of red blood spreading around. On the internet, there are rumors that the drama may describe a shaman, who could not properly survive their spiritual god, starved a child and then used their spirits to obtain food, resulting in the child’s death.
As the story of the “Revenant unfolds, viewers are more curious about the next events and how the true identity of the evil spirit will be revealed.
Source: Daum
