Hong Kil Tong

Hong Kil Tong was born to a concubine in the household of a high official. Though he was gifted and loved by his father, the rules of birth kept him from the status and future granted to his legitimate brothers. He refused to accept that boundary quietly. After a fortune-teller warned the household of his power, his father imprisoned him. When assassins came, Kil Tong escaped by magical means, spared the men who had been sent to kill him, and said farewell to his mother before leaving home.

In the mountains he found a hidden stronghold and joined a band of outlaws. He won their respect through feats of strength and became their leader. Kil Tong then devised a plan to rob a wealthy Buddhist temple whose priests had grown rich by taking tribute from poor people. Disguised as a noble student, he tricked them into accepting a false delivery of rice. His companions entered among the supposed grooms and hidden cargo, and the band escaped with the temple’s wealth. Kil Tong went on to target a corrupt governor, publicly naming himself as the people’s avenger.

The king sent an officer to capture him. Kil Tong lured the officer to his mountain stronghold, where the man discovered too late that his guide was the outlaw himself. Kil Tong later baffled the king by appearing in eight identical forms. He demanded official recognition of his birth and rank; when the king granted it, Kil Tong asked instead for rice and permission to leave. He carried the rice to an island, rescued a kidnapped young woman, and settled there with his followers. The island’s ruler gave him his daughter in marriage and made him leader. In time Kil Tong returned to Korea to bury his father, then went back to his new home.