Cranes and Tigers in Korea

It is interesting to find out that cranes are revered and worshipped in Korea. In the old days cranes reportedly nest in trees at the center of villages. And when they gave birth to a large number of young, it was taken to be an auspicious sign for the village. If not, it was feared that evil events might befall the village.

But apparently, if there is an animal which symbolizes Korea, it is supposed to be the tiger.

A tiger, I reckon, is at least much more respectable than the horrible mythical creature that supposedly symbolizes Singapore.

Known as Merlion, it has the head of a lion and the body of a fish, which is monstrously ugly, hideous and devious, especially when you add pyrotechnics to it at night - which is what the tourism people did to a monstrously-sized 200-meter tall Merlion built on the resort island of Sentosa - and then it becomes absolutely terrifying and downright scary.