Public Domain Super Heroes
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Pulgasari

Other Names

Pulgasari, Bulgasari

First Appearance

Korean Myth

Created by

Unknown

Origin[]

The Pulgasari or Bulgasari is a metal-eating legendary creature that appears in Korean mythology and folklore.The creature is a mixture of different animals, which are; a bear, an elephant, a rhino, a tiger and a bull, each representing specific body parts.

The Bulgasari is a bloodthirsty beast that grows in size the more metal it eats. According to mythology, it was created by a Buddhist monk who was on the run from the law because Buddhism was illegal in Goryeo-era Korea. He created a small figure out of rice grains and fed it needles, and it began to grow. Soon enough it was massive, and the government sent soldiers to kill it with arrows and swords, but it simply ate the metal weapons and grew in power. Finally, they decided to kill it with fire, but this had no effect on it, and the Bulgasari carried the fire to burn down a local village. Myths differ on the fate of the Bulgasari; some say that it still lives to this day, while others say that it was defeated by monks.

Public Domain Appearances[]

All published appearances of Bulgasari/Pulgasari from before January 1, 1929 are public domain in the US.

Notes[]

  • The Steel/Rock Pokémon, Aggron and it’s mega evolution is based on the Pulgasari, its draconic appearance was most likely inspired by how it appears in the 1985 North Korean film adaptation of the legend.

See Also[]

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