Fox Ridge (여우고개) - Found in Translation

Ji Ah: 21 years ago, on Fox Ridge, that day our paths crossed...what happened? (EP02)

Etymology

Fox Ridge (Yeou Gogae) really does exist, though its proper name is Namtaeryeong (남태령・南泰嶺). Other names include yeou gogae (with different hanja: 如牛峴), yeoshi gogae (여시고개), yashi gogae (야시고개), hoyeon (호현・狐峴), yeopshihyeon (엽시현・葉屍峴), namhyeon (南峴・남현), etc.

Of these, ‘yeoshi’ and ‘yashi’ are both dialect iterations of ‘yeou’ (fox) and the ‘ho’ in ‘hoyeon’ is written with the hanja for ‘fox’ (狐). Some speculate that ‘yeopshihyeon’ was also an attempt to render ‘yeoshi gogae’ in hanja. The alternate hanja for ‘yeou gogae’ mean ‘seeming-cow-ridge’–a reference to one of the legends associated with the place (more on that below). ‘Gogae’ could alternately be translated as ‘hill’ or ‘[mountain] pass.’

It’s worth noting that ‘yeou gogae’ is one of the most common names for hills and passes across Korea, and there’s more than one even within Seoul, but based on what was said in one of the TotNT deleted scenes, I’m confident this is the one they were referring to.

Location

The road is located in the vicinity of Mt. Gwanak, not far from the Seoul National University campus. It runs from Namhyeon-dong in Gwanak District to Gwacheon-dong in Gwacheon City, and serves as the boundary between the Seoul metropolitan area (서울특별시) and Gyeonggi Province (京畿道・Seoul and the area surrounding it). You can think of the difference between Seoul and Gyeonggi Province a bit like the difference between Central vs Greater London.

Lore

As stated in the above mentioned deleted scene, the area was once a premier fox habitat, dense with trees, and there are a number of legends associated with it–some of them not about foxes at all (though most are). The most famous legend associated with the ridge appears in Yoo Mong-in’s Eou Yadam (어우야담), the first recorded collection of Korean yadam (unofficial or romanticised historic tales). Of these, only two have to do with foxes: Hwang Geon Joong and the Court Lady Gwishin (‘황건중과 궁인귀신’) and Fox Ridge (‘여우 고개’).

n.b. For anyone familiar, Legend of the Blue Sea (2016-2017) was also inspired by one of the tales in this collection.

Yoo Mong-in’s tale goes something like this: Long ago, a traveller was making his way through a mountain pass when he heard the sound of knocking coming from inside a thatched-roof hut. Curious, he sought out the sound’s source and came upon a white-haired old man carving a cow’s head mask. As soon as the old man finished his creation, he offered it, along with a cowhide, to the traveller, telling him to try them on. The traveller tried them on for fun, only to transform into an actual cow (hence the name ‘cow-seeming-ridge’). The old man took the cow to market and sold him to an unsuspecting villager for fifty sheets of hemp cloth. Before leaving, the old man instructed the villager never to let the cow eat radish, saying that, “If this cow eats radish, it will soon die.” Needless to say, the ‘cow’ eventually consumed radish and transformed back into a man. However, when the traveller returned to the mountain to seek out the old man (presumably for answers), neither the old man nor the thatched-roof hut were anywhere to be found, just a few sheets of hemp cloth sandwiched between some rocks. It was presumed the old man was a fox in disguise and the ridge was thereafter called ‘Fox Ridge.’