Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful girl. Jingnyeo was the daughter of the king of heaven. Her father loved her very much. Jingnyeo was beautiful and kindhearted. She was also an excellent weaver.
The king decided it was time for Jingnyeo to get married. A search began to find her a husband, but it was not easy. After many days, the king was about to give up.
Finally one day, the king found the perfect husband for Jingnyeo. "Yes, that's him! He will marry my daughter!" shouted the excited king. And so, Kyunwoo the cattle farmer and Jingnyeo were married.
Jingnyeo and Kyunwoo loved each other very much. They spent every day together.
"Kyunwoo! Mind your cows!" the angry king yelled.
"Oh, I beg your mercy, Your Highness," giggled Kyunwoo.
Jingnyeo did not have time for her weaving. Kyunwoo did not have time for his cows. They only had time for each other.
The king was very angry at Jingnyeo and Kyunwoo. "Since you got married, you have become lazy!" scolded the king. "Look at your cows! Look at your weaving frame! For this, you, Kyunwoo, will be sent to the east! And you, Jingnyeo, will be sent to the west!" Jingnyeo and Kyunwoo began crying before the king.
"On the seventh day of July, you shall meet," the king continued. "But the Milky Way will separate you forever!"
So after one year, on the seventh day of July, they saw each other again. It was not a happy meeting. Jingnyeo and Kyunwoo longed to be together. But the Milky Way still lay between them.
Jingnyeo and Kyunwoo were not the only ones who were unhappy. "It must be the seventh day of July again!" shouted the animals and the birds.
Every year, Jingnyeo and Kyunwoo's tears fell to the earth. Their many tears caused floods. The creatures of the earth held a meeting.
"It is because Jingnyeo and Kyunwoo are apart!" complained the crow.
"Their tears cause the floods!" sniffed the deer. "They must meet or we will all die from their tears!" said the rabbit.
"But how? The Milky Way stands between them!" cried the deer.
All the creatures thought and thought what to do.
Finally, they came up with a brilliant plan. All the crows on the earth gathered together. They flew up to the sky, higher and higher. Then one by one, the birds lay down and formed a bridge.
It was the day for Kyunwoo and Jingnyeo to meet again.
"What is this? It is a bridge for me to cross!" Kyunwoo exclaimed when he saw what the crows had done.
"Can this be true? Is that my beloved husband?" Jingnyeo shouted.
At last, Jingnyeo and Kyunwoo were together once again. Thanks to the birds and the bridge they made, Jingnyeo and Kyunwoo could meet every year.
On a clear night, you can still see Jingnyeo and Kyunwoo in the stars. Jingnyeo as the harp and Kyunwoo as the eagle are separated by the Milky Way. It no longer floods on the seventh day of July. But it may rain a little—not from tears of sorrow, but from tears of joy.