The Fire Dog

Long, long ago, when the world was young and the boundary between heaven and earth was not yet firmly established, there lived in the celestial realm a magnificent creature known as Bulgae, the Fire Dog. He was no ordinary dog, but a divine guardian whose fur blazed with the colors of sunset and whose eyes shone like stars in the night sky.

Bulgae was enormous, larger than any earthly mountain, with a coat that shimmered between deep crimson and brilliant gold. When he ran across the heavens, sparks would trail behind his massive paws, creating shooting stars that would streak across the night sky. His bark could shake the very foundations of the cosmos, and his breath was like the warm summer wind that brings life to growing things.

The Fire Dog had been appointed by the Jade Emperor himself to serve as the guardian of light and protector against the forces of darkness. His most important duty was to chase away the evil spirits and demons that constantly tried to devour the sun and moon, plunging the world into eternal darkness.

“Bulgae,” the Jade Emperor had commanded when first appointing him to this sacred duty, “you are the keeper of cosmic balance. Without light, all life on earth will perish. The demons of darkness hunger constantly for the sun and moon. You must be ever vigilant, ever ready to defend the sources of light that sustain all living things.”

Bulgae had accepted this responsibility with pride and devotion. Day and night, he patrolled the heavens, his keen senses always alert for signs of danger. When evil spirits approached the sun during the day, he would bound across the sky with tremendous speed, his fiery presence driving them away before they could cause harm. At night, he guarded the moon with equal dedication, ensuring that its gentle light would continue to guide travelers and comfort those afraid of the dark.

For countless years, Bulgae faithfully performed his duties. The people on earth came to depend on his protection, though most were unaware of the great fire dog who watched over them from the celestial realm. They simply knew that each day the sun rose reliably in the east and set in the west, and that each night the moon followed its appointed path across the star-filled sky.

However, Bulgae’s constant vigilance came at a great personal cost. His work was so demanding and important that he rarely had time to rest or eat properly. While other celestial beings enjoyed leisurely meals of ambrosia and divine nectar, Bulgae was always racing across the heavens, chasing away threats to the cosmic order.

As time passed, the great Fire Dog grew hungrier and hungrier. His once-magnificent coat began to lose some of its luster, and his mighty bark became somewhat weaker. But still he continued his duties faithfully, putting the safety of the world above his own comfort and needs.

The evil spirits, led by a particularly cunning demon lord named Amheuk, began to notice Bulgae’s growing weakness. Amheuk was a creature of pure shadow and malice, whose greatest desire was to plunge the universe into eternal darkness so that he and his kind could rule without opposition.

“Brothers of shadow,” Amheuk whispered to his demon followers one dark night, “I have observed the Fire Dog for many seasons. His strength is not what it once was. The time has come for us to launch our greatest assault on the sources of light. If we can overwhelm Bulgae when he is at his weakest, we can devour both sun and moon, and the age of darkness will begin!”

The demons began to gather in unprecedented numbers, forming a vast army of shadow and malevolence. They planned to attack during the new moon, when the night was darkest and Bulgae would be most tired from his constant efforts to maintain the cosmic balance.

On the appointed night, the demon army launched their assault. From every corner of the universe, creatures of darkness converged on the sun and moon simultaneously. Never before had Bulgae faced such a massive threat to the cosmic order.

“I will not let you pass!” the Fire Dog barked, his voice echoing across the heavens like thunder. Despite his hunger and weariness, he summoned all his remaining strength to battle the demon horde.

The cosmic battle was fierce and terrible. Bulgae fought with the desperation of one who knows that the fate of all life hangs in the balance. He breathed great gouts of celestial fire, turning dozens of demons to ash with each breath. His massive paws crushed shadow creatures by the hundreds, and his blazing fur created barriers of light that the forces of darkness could not penetrate.

But there were simply too many demons, and Bulgae was too weakened by hunger and exhaustion. Slowly but surely, the forces of darkness began to overwhelm him. Some demons managed to slip past his defenses and begin gnawing at the edges of both the sun and the moon.

As this happened, the people on earth witnessed something terrifying and unprecedented. The bright disk of the sun began to dim and darken as if something was taking bites out of it. Even more frightening, the same thing was happening to the moon. Both sources of light were being gradually devoured before their very eyes.

“Eclipse!” cried the people in terror. “The sun and moon are being eaten! The world is coming to an end!”

Panic spread throughout the land as people realized they were witnessing what appeared to be the destruction of the celestial bodies that made life possible. In every village and city, families huddled together in fear, watching helplessly as darkness began to swallow the sky.

But among the people, there was an old wise woman named Grandmother Sook who remembered the ancient stories passed down through countless generations. She alone understood what was truly happening in the heavens above.

“Listen to me, everyone!” she called out in her strongest voice, gathering the terrified villagers around her. “This is not the end of the world! This is Bulgae the Fire Dog fighting to save us all! But he is hungry and weak from protecting us for so long. We must help him!”

“How can we help a celestial being?” asked the village chief, his voice trembling with fear and confusion.

“We must make noise!” Grandmother Sook declared. “We must beat drums, bang pots and pans, shout and yell as loudly as we can! Our voices will give Bulgae strength and encouragement. We must show him that we believe in him and that we are fighting alongside him!”

At first, the villagers were skeptical. How could mere human noise help in a cosmic battle between gods and demons? But as the eclipse grew worse and the darkness deepened, they became desperate enough to try anything.

Following Grandmother Sook’s lead, the people began to make as much noise as they possibly could. They beat on drums, clanged pots and pans together, shouted at the top of their lungs, and even sang traditional songs of courage and hope.

“Bulgae! Bulgae! We believe in you!” they chanted. “Drive away the darkness! Bring back the light!”

The sound of their voices, multiplied by millions of people across the entire earth, rose up to the heavens like a great wave of support and encouragement. When Bulgae heard this tremendous chorus of human voices calling his name and cheering him on, something miraculous happened.

Suddenly, the Fire Dog felt a surge of new energy flowing through his massive frame. The love and faith of the people on earth had somehow renewed his strength and restored his power. His coat blazed brighter than ever before, and his eyes shone with renewed determination.

“You demons of darkness!” Bulgae roared with a voice like cosmic thunder. “You have forgotten who you are dealing with! I am Bulgae, the Fire Dog, Guardian of Light, and I will not be defeated!”

With his strength restored by the faith and support of humanity, Bulgae launched a final, devastating assault on the demon army. His celestial fire burned hotter and brighter than ever before, creating great walls of flame that the shadow creatures could not cross. His massive jaws snapped up dozens of demons at a time, and his powerful paws scattered their forces like leaves in a hurricane.

The demon lord Amheuk, seeing that his great plan had failed, attempted to flee back to the depths of shadow from which he had come. But Bulgae was too quick for him. With a tremendous leap that shook the very foundations of heaven, the Fire Dog caught the demon lord in his mighty jaws.

“For your crimes against the cosmic order,” Bulgae declared, “you will be banished to the deepest darkness, where you can do no more harm to the sources of light!”

With that, he flung Amheuk so far into the void that the demon lord would never again be able to threaten the sun or moon.

The remaining demons, seeing their leader defeated and their army scattered, fled in terror to the farthest corners of the universe. The immediate threat to the cosmic order was ended.

As Bulgae’s victory became complete, the people on earth watched in wonder and joy as the sun and moon gradually returned to their full brightness. The terrible eclipse was ending, and light was being restored to the world.

“We did it!” cried Grandmother Sook, tears of joy streaming down her weathered face. “We helped Bulgae save the world!”

The celebration that followed lasted for days, with festivals and feasts in every village and city. The people had learned that they were not helpless in the face of cosmic forces, but could contribute to the universal struggle between light and darkness through their faith, courage, and solidarity.

From that day forward, whenever an eclipse occurred, the Korean people would remember the lesson of Bulgae and Grandmother Sook. They would come together to make noise, beat drums, and shout encouragement, showing their support for the Fire Dog in his eternal duty to protect the sources of light.

Bulgae, strengthened by the knowledge that the people of earth were his allies in the fight against darkness, continued his sacred duty with renewed vigor. But he never forgot the lesson he had learned about the importance of community and mutual support. Even celestial guardians, he realized, needed the help and encouragement of others to fulfill their greatest purposes.

And high in the heavens, whenever Bulgae looked down at the earth during an eclipse and heard the voices of the people calling his name, he would smile his great canine smile and fight all the harder, knowing that he was not alone in his eternal battle against the forces of darkness.

The wise say that even today, when eclipses occur, it is Bulgae the Fire Dog protecting the sun and moon from the demons that would devour them. And they say that if you listen carefully during an eclipse, you can still hear the echo of voices from long ago, calling out in support of the great celestial guardian who watches over us all:

“Bulgae! Bulgae! Bring back the light!”