What animal is the symbol of long life in Korea?

The deer is the animal that is the symbol of long life in Korea. Dating back to ancient times, the people in Korea have considered the deer a holy animal due to its beautiful appearance and mild temper. It is unclear is to why the deer was originally made a symbol for long life. There are no particular stories about ordinary deer. But, it was believed that mythical white stag had eternal life and held a prominent role in the mythology of the culture.

Today, deer are known to travel in herds and whenever they move to a different location, they raise their heads to search for any stragglers that do not follow. When an image of a deer has been painted with pine trees, maples, rocks, or herbs, this is still used as a symbol of long life in several cultures, including Korea.

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48 Comments

kennyk

Funny, my grandparents and parents always told me it was the tortoise. Oh well, what do they know, they're Korean.

Blairly21

The answer is tortoise/turtle, because they live a very long time. Taken from Google: Turtles/tortoises are considered as the typical symbol of longevity in the Korean culture.”

Skip Hayden

The turtle is ALSO a symbol for long life in Korea. This is a poor question!

Julie Allen

Two correct answers given - Turtle: Longevity, Fortune-telling Ability Deer: Friendship, Longevity

Bhavana Agarwal

it must be tortoise. It is always the tortoise who is considered for the longevity. Their average life span is 150 years.

Christine Perfect

It's turtle or tortoise

Benedicte Corneliussen

Turtles/tortoises are considered as the typical symbol of longevity in the Korean culture

ninakamwene

I chose the tortoise with the 52% too logical a choice.

Larry Freeman

Anita Clark Morton, Yes... but they are not at all like our white tail or mule deer. Korean deer are small, have no antlers, have two prominent downward pointing tusks, typically stand less than 2 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh less than 30 pounds-- cute lil' bitty guys.

Patricia Viater

Correct answer is tortoise.

Bijoy Kumar Mitra

I believe the right answer is Tortoise. For, the Tortoise is also associated with Korean mythology and folklore, particularly with the legend of the "Tortoise Shell", which granted immortality. In modern times, tortoises remain a popular symbol in Korean culture, appearing in art, literature, and even everyday items like jewelry and decorations.