Lore: Pilgrim Spirits

A "Pilgrim Spirit", is the term often given to spirits/supernatural being's whose origins are not native to the region that they now inhabit, but who are instead brought in from other countries and given form due to intense superstitious beliefs allowing them to manifest, resulting in a sort of "Invasive Spirit Species”; simply those who do not follow the traditional aspect of the demons/spirits from which the country they now inhabit do. While often times rare, Pilgrim Spirits are often brought in from immigrants or other forms of traveler throughout the years, often due to mistaken identity!

For example, similar to nearly all Asian folklore, within much of Korean folklore, Deer are a sacred symbol of longevity, often representing grace, a gentle nature, and a sense of harmony with nature, and are often seen as part of the Symbols of Longevity. As such because of this, there isn't a specific, prominent “species” of "deer demon" native within Korean mythology, comparable to other creatures such as Dokkaebi (Korean Ogres) or Kumiho (Asia’s answer to the nine-tailed fox).

However in Gambit, there indeed lies a "Demonic Deer Spirit" or something close to one, known as Jinheuk. Jinheuk, seen right, follows a lot of the characteristics of a Pilgrim Spirit. So far he is the only one. Plus his appearance does not follow "traditional" Korean Spirit traits. Because of this, his origins have often been a debatable topic throughout the years. While many have assumed that he may as well be such things as a Demonic Trickster Spirit due to his grotesque appearance and habit of playing pranks on the locals, others have also classified him as a Nature Spirit, potentially one corrupted by the intense modernization and pollution of Korea, but yet still holding a sense of benevolence towards humans and nature enough to not make him a serious threat to humanity.

However, some have even hypothesized that he may not even be a Korean spirit in origin at all, and may actually be a “Pilgrim Spirit”, named solely for the fact that many spirits often develop due to stories passed on through immigrants and the such. If this does turn out to be true in the case for Jinheuk, then there is a chance that he might actually not be related to any form of Korean Spirit, and may instead be somewhat related distantly to cryptic-spirits such as Appalachia's “not-deer”, or other similar forms of Cervidae spirits or aberrations possibly found in European mythology or even other Asiatic Countries; potentially brought in from immigrants or other forms of traveler throughout the years.

Other things that point to him being a Pilgrim Spirit, actually come directly from his appearance. It is unknown for certain what exact deer species he is. Traditionally there are three species of deer still native to South Korea: the Siberian roe deer, the water deer, and the Siberian musk deer, all of which he shares very few similarities with. Instead Jinheuk shares an appearance/similarities to that of a Sika Deer. Sadly, though subspecies have been reintroduced from Japan and Taiwan, Sika deer went extinct in South Korea at around 1920 when the last individual was captured on Jeju Island. This possibly hints that Jinheuk has potentially been around since before the 1920’s, making his age a rough estimate at about 105 years or more. Jinhuek's typical appearance also seems to take a lot of characteristics typically found in the western aspect of a not-deer or other similar forms of “Cryptids”. While the exact details of physical abnormalities differ between instances of his spotting’s, repeat commonalities are as follows:

Legs bent backwards. Barrel chested/bloated abdomen. Emaciation. Eyes belonging to unrelated animals. Forward-facing eyes. Jerky movements. Loss of fear towards humans. Tendency to walk on two hind legs. General bodily disfigurement.

It is uncertain why out of all potential looks for a deer spirit, why Jinheuk’s main appearance is so grotesque. It is possible that similar to traditional “Not-Deer”, that those familiar with the cryptid may have interpreted seeing native Korean deer species suffering with birth defects causing unusual walking patterns and head shape WITH such a being. But while his origins have remained a mystery, his presence has not. Much like the fate of many Pilgrim spirits throughout the years, Demon Hunters have long since known about him for generations and his presence within South Korea has often been a source of debate for many.

While many prefer to just leave him alone as he has not specifically caused damage or injury to anything or anyone, his appearance alone and a plethora of misunderstandings that come with it have caused a rift to grow between him and other hunters throughout the years. Years of anti-demon rhetoric has resulted in many newer and older generations of hunters to kill those who do not follow the “natural order”, anything that looks like a demon is a demon and as a result must be “cleansed” regardless of potential benevolence, with many looking at it as a “not-taking-any-chances”.

Despite this, traditional Korean apotropaic objects have little to no effect on Jinheuk. In fact, his “stuck between nature” of not being solely a Korean Spirit and not solely being a potential Western Spirit, often leaves very little in terms of what could potentially affect him.