EDULIT 1 Mythology and Folklore

EDULIT 2 Afro- Asian Literature

ENGLED 8 TEACHING LITERATURE

SUBMITTED BY: FRANK HARRIS R. KRUEGER

 The Legend of Son Tinh and Thuy Tinh

King Hung the 18th had a daughter named My Nuong who was as beautiful as a goddess. She

had skin as white as snow, hair as black as night with brilliant eyes shining as stars. My Nuong

was very precious to her father. When she was of age, King Hung for announced throughout the

land that a competition would be held in order to choose the most talented, worthy husband for

her.

Young men from all over the kingdom of Van Lang descended upon Phong Chau the capital to

take part in the competition These young men pitted their talents against each other for nine

consecutive days and nights until only two remained Son Tinh, son of the Spirit of Ba Vi

Mountain and Thuy Tinh, son of the spirit of Da River. The final competition began. Son Tinh

merely pointed eastward and every rice field to the east turned a vibrant harvest green. But he

wasn't finished. He turned and pointed to the west and from the ground rose a tall, forbidding

mountain. But Thuy Tinh's talents were just as impressive. Not to be outdone he called for the

wind and the wind whipped through the planes flattening all the trees. Then he called for the rain

and the rain poured relentlessly flooding all of the rice paddies. After witnessing both of their

displays of power and seeing how they seemed to be equally talented in every way, My Nuong

couldn't decide who to chose to be her husband. Seeing this to be the case King Hung called the

two young men to his side and proclaimed:

"Both of you have proven yourself worthy to be my son-in-law, idea but I have only one
daughter. So here is what I have decided. The wedding of my daughter must include the giving of

betrothal gifts representing the due love and respect to the ancestors, relatives, and household of

My Nuong. The gifts must include the following: 100 trays of sticky rice, 200 Banh Chung, 9

tusks of 9 tusks of ivory, 9 spurs from a rooster's foot, and 9 red horse manes. Tomorrow,

whoever arrives first bringing all of these gifts will take my daughter home in a royal wedding

procession.

Early the next day when the first rays of sun began illuminating the peak of Ba Vi mountain, Son

Tinh arrived first bringing all the necessary gifts and he was granted permission to take My

Nuong as his wife. Then Thu Tinh came, but it was too late. He became furious and instructed

his men to follow after them in order to kidnap My Nuong. Son Tinh and My Nuong had already

climbed to the top of Ba Vi Mountain by the time Thuy Tinh arrived at the mountain's foot.

Without hesitation, Thuy Tinh called for the rain and wind creating a violent storm which shook

the very earth. The water rose overwhelming the rice fields and flooding all the houses. But Son

Tinh wasn't shaken. One by one he moved the mountains stacking them higher creating rows of

hills which blocked the line of the fierce moving water. And so the struggle went, no matter how

much the water level rose, Son Tinh stacked the hills that much higher. They fought each other

like so for several months until finally Thuy Tinh had to admit defeat and he returned home with

all of his men. Ever since then, each year come July and August, the same time of the year that

Son Tinh took My Nuong to be his wife and Tinh angry again, raising the water level of Da other

surrounding rivers, flooding the rice fields and destroying peoples' houses. And the people of Van

Lang likewise following Son Tinh's example build the dikes higher to prevent flooding.
 What is "Len Lao"?

In times of old, reaching age 49 for a Vietnamese was a feat quite significant. In fact, one

traditional Vietnamese belief is that one is most susceptible to death between the ages of 49.53. If

one could pass through this 4 year time period successfully, one could live to be 60, 70, 80 or

more. So at age 49, a person would "LenLao' or in other words become an old person. The

village would organize a party to Initiate this person Into the ranks a respected elder. But this

public event in which the whole village participated in also marked a significant change in the

family structure of this person.

A father who just "Len Lao" no longer made all of the decisions regarding important family

matters. At this time, the eldest son "con Truong" had to step forward and take over the family

responsibilities. The newly titled old person was now free to pursue more leisurely activities.

One traditional custom still practiced today is "Le Thuong Tho" When an old person reaches the

age of 60 or even sometimes 70 or 80, his or her children will organize a birthday party to show

their respect and love for this older family member. The children will choose a day (usually not

his or her actual birth day because traditionally nobody kept track of birth dates.ask someone

born before 1945 when their birthday is and they probably don't know) convenient for all the

family members and close relatives to come and show respect to their elder.

In traditional Vietnamese society, a son or daughter can never repay the debt they owe to their

parents for bringing them life and raising them. However, these two occasions, the first one a

public one organized by the village and the second one organized by the are two tangible ways
that the Vietnamese of old showed respect to those who had come before them because as the

Vietnamese say: "Uong nuoc nho nguon. - When you drink water remember the source.

The Legend Of The Milky Way

Once upon a time there lived a very pretty and stunning princess, Called Chuc-Nu. She was one

of the many daughters of the King of Heaven.Chuc-Nu is very hard-working and she was often

seen sitting by the shore of the Silver River to sew clothes for her younger sisters.

One day a young man charming man named "Nguu-Lang" herded his buffaloes to the river. He

fell in love at first sight with the princess, and she loved him, too. The King of Heaven, fully

aware of their love, consented for her daughter to marry Nguu-Lang. But the couple had to

promise to continue their work after their marriage.

They enjoyed being married so much the forgot their promise. The King became angry and

ordered them to be separated. Each of them would live on one side of the river and could only

look at each other from across the river. The King allowed them to meet once a year in the

seventh month of the lunar year. This month is called The Month of Sudden and Short

Showers.

When they meet each other, they usually cry for joy. They cry even more bitterly when it is time

for separation.That is why it rains torrentially at the beginning of the seventh lunar month in

Vietnam. If you happen to be in the countryside during this month, you do not expect to find any

ravens. They are believed to have flown to the sky to help carry the bridge across the river for the

reunion of Chuc-Nu and Nguu-Lang and if you look at the sky on clear nights, you may see the
Silver River which looks like a long milky white strip. Therefore, it is called "Ngan ha" (The

Milky Way).

THE LEGEND OF THE WATERMELON

Once upon a time, the sixth son of King Hung Vuong the Fifth named An-Tiem disobeyed the

Kings order and was exiled to a deserted island.

The Prince had to build his own shelter, dig a well for water, and fish and hunt animals for food.

One day, he found a green fruit as big and round as a ball. He split the fruit into halves and found

the inside of the fruit red. He dared not eat it because he was afraid it was poisonous.

Days passed and the dry and sunny season came. It was so hot that all the plants were dry and the

well had no water left. One day An-Tiem was so tired and thirsty that he tasted the fruit He found

out that it tasted delicious and quenched his thirst. He tried to grow the plant around his house

then. Soon the whole island was covered with the green fruit.

An-Tiem carved the islands name and his own on some of the fruit and threw them into the sea.

Later, seamen found the strange fruit with An-Tiems name floating in the sea.

Soon, words about the fruit reached the continent and many merchants tried to find the way the

island. This then turned the deserted island into a busy island. The island was now crowded.

Many boats came and went. An-Tiem helped anyone who wanted settle on the island. Soon,

news about that reaches the King.

King Hung Vuong was very proud of having a son who was brave and strong enough to

overcome difficulties without anyones help. An-Tiem was immediately summoned back to the

court. He brought his fruit with him to offer the King, his father. The King gave him his crown

and An-Tiem became King Hung Vuong VI.

Since then the fruit which was called dua hau and has become the symbol of luck; people often

offer it to relatives and friends as a New Year present.