Slow Night Ancient Tales

Welcome to Slow Night, Ancient Tales.
Tonight we bring you an old Korean folktale recorded in the Compendium of Korean
Oral Literature — "The Short-Lived Boy Who Won the Three Ministers' Daughters."
Told he is fated to die young, a boy sets out on a journey to escape his destiny,
eventually forming a bond with three ministers' daughters at a mysterious pavilion
surrounded by water. Full of wonder and gentle humor, this traditional Korean
folktale makes for a calm companion for falling asleep.
🌙 Recommended for you if you:
- Love oral folktales once told by grandparents around the fire
- Enjoy traditional Korean folklore and stories of fated bonds
- Want to drift off to sleep with calm narration
#sleepaudio #folktale #koreanfolklore #fatestory #fallasleeplistening #sleepstory #audiobook #oraltradition #healingradio
Source: Adapted from a 1979 oral recording in the Compendium of Korean Oral Literature (Academy of Korean Studies, kdp.aks.ac.kr/gubi).

Welcome to Slow Night, Ancient Tales.

Tonight we bring you Na Do-hyang's short story "Mulberry Leaves." Anhyeop-jip runs

her household alone while her gambler husband is away, caught up in the quiet

calculations of the villagers around her. An uproar over stolen mulberry leaves

reveals the desires and survival instincts of everyone involved. This unflinching

portrayal of human nature and the hard realities of 1920s rural Korea unfolds in a

quiet companion for falling asleep.

🌙 Recommended for you if you:

- Love early modern Korean literature and unflinching character studies

- Are interested in the realities of 1920s rural Korean society

- Want to end your day with calm narration

#sleepaudio #koreanliterature #nadohyang #mulberryleaves #fallasleeplistening #sleepstory #audiobook #classicliterature #koreanshortstory #healingradio

Welcome to Slow Night, Ancient Tales.
Tonight we bring you a mysterious legend from Iryeon's Samguk Yusa. As King Bojang,
the last ruler of Goguryeo, sought to elevate Daoism within his kingdom, a monk
named Bodeok sensed the danger this posed to the nation's future. Ignored by the
king, he is said to have lifted his own hermitage into the sky and carried it far
to the south. Woven alongside this legend is the tale of an old grudge, reborn
generations later, said to have finally brought the kingdom to ruin. These ancient
legends make for a calm companion for falling asleep.
🌙 Recommended for you if you:
- Love the Samguk Yusa and classic Korean legends
- Are drawn to mysterious, prophetic old stories
- Want to drift off to sleep with calm narration
#sleepaudio #samgukyusa #koreanlegend #goguryeo #fallasleeplistening #sleepstory #audiobook #healingradio #ancienttales #koreanfolklore

Hello, and welcome to Slow Night, Ancient Tales.

Tonight, we bring you the tenth episode of the classic novel "The Tale of Lee Dae-bong."

The Grand Commander Ae-hwang sweeps fearlessly through the chaos of battle, her majestic presence unshaken, until at last she wins the enemy general's surrender.

Just as even the fiercest storm eventually settles into stillness, may the tangled feelings of your day settle gently alongside this story tonight.

Have a warm and peaceful night.

Welcome to Slow Night, Ancient Tales.
Tonight we bring you Yi Hyo-seok's short story "The Curtain." Se-un, a man
carrying the weight of a failed magazine venture, a declining body, and a
restless heart, wanders the streets of the city, moving between two women as he
slowly loses hold of himself — until he finally arrives at a dead end in his own
life. This clear-eyed portrait of late-1930s intellectual society unfolds in a
quiet companion for falling asleep.
🌙 Recommended for you if you:
- Love early modern Korean literature and sharp character studies
- Are interested in 1930s intellectual life and social history
- Want to end your day with calm narration
#sleepaudio #koreanliterature #yihyoseok #fallasleeplistening #sleepstory #audiobook #classicliterature #koreanshortstory #healingradio
This story includes a scene depicting a character's suicide attempt. If you or
someone you know is struggling, please know that support is available — in the
US, you can call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline); wherever you are,
please reach out to a local crisis line or someone you trust.

Welcome to Slow Night, Ancient Tales.
Tonight we bring you "General Im," from Kim Dong-in's Book of Historical Tales. Im
Mun, a young scholar on his way to a civil service exam, is bitten by a venomous
snake in the mountains of Deogyu and saved by a mysterious hermit. Years later, he
rises to become a great general in Qing China — only to encounter that same
benefactor again, in the middle of the devastating Manchu invasion of Korea. A
gripping historical tale of gratitude, betrayal, and belated reckoning, makes for a
quiet companion for falling asleep.
🌙 Recommended for you if you:
- Are interested in Korean history and Joseon-era legends
- Enjoy Kim Dong-in's dramatic storytelling style
- Want to drift off to sleep with calm narration
#sleepaudio #koreanhistory #kimdonghin #historicaltale #manchuinvasion #joseondynasty #fallasleeplistening #sleepstory #audiobook #healingradio
ℹ️ A Note on the Author
Kim Dong-in is remembered as a pioneering figure in modern Korean literature, known
for his contributions to naturalism and aestheticism. He was also officially
designated as a pro-Japanese collaborator in 2009 by South Korea's Presidential
Committee for the Inspection of Collaborative Acts under Japanese Imperialism.

Welcome to Slow Night, Ancient Tales.
Tonight we bring you an old Korean folktale recorded in the Compendium of Korean
Oral Literature — "The Thirty-Thousand-Nyang Fortune-Telling." A minister, faced
with his late-born only son's foretold early death, sends someone all the way to
Qing China and pays a small fortune to have his fate read. The cryptic answer he
receives finally reveals its true meaning many years later, in a way no one could
have expected. This wondrous tale of fate and human connection, rich with the
charm of traditional Korean storytelling, makes for a gentle companion for falling
asleep.
🌙 Recommended for you if you:
- Love oral folktales once told by grandparents around the fire
- Enjoy traditional Korean folklore and stories about fate
- Want to drift off to sleep with calm narration
#sleepaudio #folktale #koreanfolklore #fatestory #fallasleeplistening #sleepstory #audiobook #oraltradition #healingradio
Source: Adapted from a 1979 oral recording in the Compendium of Korean Oral Literature (Academy of Korean Studies, kdp.aks.ac.kr/gubi).

Welcome to Slow Night, Ancient Tales.
Tonight we bring you Na Do-hyang's short story "Diary Entries of a Streetcar
Conductor." In 1920s Gyeongseong, a streetcar conductor working the same route day
after day notices a woman — once too poor to afford her fare, now transformed
almost beyond recognition a month later. Told through three brief diary entries,
this story of fleeting encounters and quiet, bitter realization unfolds with Na
Do-hyang's delicate observation, in a gentle companion for falling asleep.
🌙 Recommended for you if you:
- Love early modern Korean literature and delicate psychological detail
- Are interested in the streets and daily life of 1920s Gyeongseong
- Want to end your day with calm narration
#sleepaudio #koreanliterature #nadohyang #streetcarconductor #fallasleeplistening #sleepstory #audiobook #classicliterature #koreanshortstory #healingradio

Welcome to Slow Night, Ancient Tales.
Tonight we bring you two stories from Iryeon's Samguk Yusa. First, the tale of King
Beopheung of Silla, who wished to establish Buddhism in his kingdom, and the young
official Yeomchok, who gave his own life to make it possible. Then, the story of
King Beop of Baekje, who forbade killing throughout his realm and built a temple in
its honor. Quiet sacrifice and gentle compassion, in service of faith, make for a
calm companion for falling asleep.
🌙 Recommended for you if you:
- Love the Samguk Yusa and classic Korean legends
- Are interested in stories touching on Buddhist history
- Want to drift off to sleep with calm narration
⏰ Timeline
00:00 Opening
00:36 Narration
08:25 Closing
#sleepaudio #samgukyusa #koreanlegend #buddhisthistory #fallasleeplistening #sleepstory #audiobook #healingradio #ancienttales #koreanfolklore

Welcome to Slow Night, Ancient Tales.
Tonight we bring you the sixth episode of Hyun Jin-geon's short story "The Fading
Mist." An unexpected visitor, Hwa-ra, finds Chang-seop napping after a sleepless
dawn, and later, he waits alone through the night once more at Namsan Park for
Jeong-ae. A letter that finally arrives after two months reveals a truth no one
expected. The delicate emotional threads and crossed feelings of this early modern
Korean short story continue in a gentle companion for falling asleep.
🌙 Recommended for you if you:
- Enjoyed the previous episode
- Love early modern Korean literature and quiet, emotional narratives
- Want to drift off to sleep with calm narration
#sleepaudio #koreanliterature #hyunjingeon #thefadingmist #fallasleeplistening #sleepstory #audiobook #classicliterature #koreanshortstory #healingradio
If you missed the previous episode, you can catch up on our channel. Sleep well 🌙