Legends of Aebawi (rock) and Haesindang (shrine)

[zeldalee13]

"Once upon a time, in a coastal village there lived a beautiful girl who used to gather seaweed. In the distance there was a rock called Aebawi where plenty of seaweed grew. Once day, this young girl was taken out to the rock by a man in a boat. The man, who had a pact to marry her, promised to return to the rock to pick her up after she had collected seaweed there and he went back to the village. At dusk, she waited for the man to come and take her home, but he was unable to come and fetch her due to wild waves. That very night a terrible storm arose and a large wave struck the rock, drowning the ill-fated girl. From the time of her death, the fishing catches turned bad for the village and so a rumor started circulating among the villagers that it was due to the dead girl's bitter soul. Finally, the people of the village decided to offer carved wooden phalluses as a sacrifice inside Haesindang to console the bitter soul of the unmarried girl. Mysteriously, after that, the village once again enjoyed a good catch. The ceremony where wooden phalluses are offered is still held even today on the first full moon of the lunar year."

--from the brochure "Legends of Aebawi (rock) and Haesindang (shrine)" published by the Samcheok Fishing Village Folk Museum