Lying off the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula, separate from the mainland, Jeju Island has preserved its own unique culture through the ages.In the old days, travel to and from the mainland was rare, and to this day, mainlanders consider Jeju a special and exotic place.Jeju’s “three plenty’s??wind, rock and women ?the volcanic cones, dazzling sunrises and sunsets, rugged women divers, and stone idols rather than the wooden roadside idols of the mainland, will leave you with memories steeped in the scent of sea air.

The mountain in the Sea.? Just the sound of it is appealing.? Resting beautifully in the blue sea, south of the Korean peninsula, with Mr. Hallasan rising 2,000 meters and villages nestled on the slopes around, Jeju Island is a world-renowned tourist destination blessed with abundant gifts of nature.

As winter draws to a close and warm winds begin to blow from the south, Jeju is the first part of Korea to greet the new season. When the shoots that shriveled in the winter feel the south wind of spring and begin to open their buds, the whole island erupts in a riot of yellow rapeseed blossoms.? In March, when the mainland still feels a chill, Jeju throws off the drab garb of winter and becomes suffused with bright color.

But that’s not all.? From various local foods hard to find on the mainland, to beautiful scenery and refreshing sea air, the attractions of this tourist mecca derive a special appeal from unique island legends and customs. Cut off from the mainland and surrounded by the sea, Jeju has kept its own store of ancient folklore.

Long, long ago, three spirits rose up out of Jeju and lived on the island.They decided that each spirit would shoot an arrow, and wherever the arrow fell became that spirit’s home.The three tribes that they ruled became the first Jeju Islanders, so the story goes.

Jeju is as rich in legend as is ancient Greece, and some even call the island “Home of the Myth.”  With its lofty mountains and its unusual and wonderful topography, Jeju is also known as the Isle of the “Three Plenty’s.? It has plenty of wind, plenty of rocks, and plenty of women.

The first thing that people from the mainland notice when they set foot on Jeju is the strong wind.? All year round, the sea breeze is brisk, and there are hardly any days without wind.On this island where a watery horizon is visible wherever you stand, the wind itself can be seen in the surging waves and crashing white spray of the sea.

Among the unique sights of this Island of Three are the low-roofed houses that couldn’t be built any higher because of strong wind, and stone-walls with holes for the wind to pass so as not to blow down. Jeju Islanders have spent their lives with the wind as a constant companion, not a hindrance to fight off.

Island of Black Rock, Guarded by Idols

There are some unusual statues not found on the mainland.These stone figures stand as tall as a full-grown adult.The faintly smiling dolhareubang, “stone grandfathers,?have their eyes wide open, and have black bodies with large prominent hands. Made of basalt, they once served as village guardian idols. In the days before the development of medical science, they were set up to protect the village from contagious diseases.

They were also placed beside gates to keep evil out. Accordingly, whenever the people passed a dolhareubang, they lowered their heads to say a prayer for their family and village. The dolhareubang has become the predominant symbol of Jeju, widely known around the world.

But Jeju also has many other sights connected with stone.“We came from the rocks, and to the rocks we will return,?say the Jeju people. It’s no exaggeration to say that the whole island is covered with volcanic rock.Looking at Jeju’s fields, it’s easy to see how the long walls have been built up from lumps of basalt.The graceful curves of the basalt walls sweeping between wide open fields, and between houses, make a scene that springs to mind whenever one thinks of Jeju.

There are plenty of rocks along the coastline, too. Jeju’s stony beaches keep coming into view along the road, black beaches thickly strewn with big basalt rocks. To those accustomed to sandy beaches, it may look strange, but for those born and raised on Jeju, the endless black beaches form an image that always remains with them even after they leave. These black rocks are ancient monuments of an island formed by volcanic activity.

In the old days an elderly female giant named Seolmundaehalmang is said to have lived on Jeju Island.? She was so big that at night she slept with Mt. Hallasan as her pillow.But the pointed summit made her uncomfortable, so she beat it down with her fist. The dent she made became Baengnokdam, the crater on the summit of Mt. Hallasan.The islanders tell many tales of this giant old woman, that she once lived on Jeju signifies that the island has always had plenty of women, and that women have played an important role.

Jeju’s women had to be very strong. Besides their rugged natural environment, they had to endure all kinds of hardships.? Such as when their men were killed or captured defending the island against attackers.The men so often left the island that the women had no choice but to take charge of farm work and all chores in the home.

The epitome of these strong, indomitable Jeju women is the haenyeo, or women diver.To this day, groups of haenyeo can be seen in Jeju, going out to sea in black wetsuits. They dive for sea slugs, abalone, and edible seaweed, in summer and winter alike.? Twenty to thirty of them ride a boat far out to sea to dive. They dive up to twenty meters without any breathing equipment, remaining under water for as much as two minutes, collecting their various seafood.For these women who have spent their whole lives in the sea, the brisk sea breeze, the angry waves, and the quiet of the deep water have become facts of life.The haenyeo who entrusts her body to the sea without fear, is living proof of the strength of Jeju women.

Legends and myths live and breathe in the tough people of Jeju.They are in the verdant flanks of Mt. Hallasan, home to 1,800 species of plants. They are also in between the waves and ridges, deep in the ocean and hidden in the mountains.And now they are in the rapeseed blossoms that cover the island in yellow to herald in the beginning of a new season.