APIFantasy | Myth and Folklore Anthology

Vietnamese Mythology - Myth #2: The Legend of Sơn Tinh and Thủy Tinh

During the reign of the 18th Hùng king, there was a princess named Mỵ Nương. Being the King's only child, she was cherished greatly by her mother and father. She was also greatly beloved by the people as they would praise her for her beauty and kindness.

When she became of age, the King began to search for suitable men to marry her. He struggled with finding someone worthy, even when many men approached him to ask for her hand. The King had hoped for Mỵ Nương to marry someone who cherished his daughter as much as he did, but also had enough strength to protect her.

One day, two strangers arrived at court, and they proposed to the princess. The King asked for their names. The first was Sơn Tinh, the God of the mountain. He reigned over Tản Viên Mountain and ruled over the creatures of the sky. The second was Thủy Tinh, the God of the sea. He ruled over the creatures in the ocean. Sơn Tinh promised to make Mỵ Nương the happiest queen of the mountains, while Thủy Tinh promised to make her the glorious queen of the seas.

The King asked the two gods to demonstrate their power, so the God of the sea waved his hands, and the wind began to blow. When he spoke, rain came down hard. As he continued waving his hands, the sea level rose. Everyone became afraid by this display of power, but the God of the mountain saw it as a challenge.

The God of the mountain came forward and waved his hand, causing many trees to grow tall quickly. When he spoke, mountains and hills appeared. As he continued waving his hands, the hills and mountains moved.

After seeing their power, the King was happy to accept either one as his son-in-law, but he had difficulty in deciding who the winner would be. He discussed it with his most trusted advisors and after the discussion, he told the two gods that he would be happy to accept both of them if he had two daughters. But because he only had one daughter, he had to choose one. And so, to help decide, he told them that anyone who showed up to court the earliest the following morning with a wedding present would marry his daughter. The gods asked the King what kind of wedding presents they needed to provide.

The King replied with a list: a nine-tusk elephant, a nine-spur rooster, a nine-color hair horse, one hundred pots of glutinous rice and one hundred bánh chưng (square rice cakes). The Gods quickly returned to their domains to begin preparations.

The following morning, the God of the seas arrived at court before the sun rose. But, the God of the mountains had arrived before him and already married the princess. Mỵ Nương went with the God of the mountains to live in the palace there. Having discovered this, the God of the seas was angry and heartbroken. He ordered his servants to get Mỵ Nương back and used his magic to generate heavy rain. He also called strong winds and thunder, and for all water to rise. A terrible flood happened immediately after. He concluded by asking all his subjects in the seas to kill the God of the mountains and his men.

Everyone panicked, fearing the anger of the God of the seas. However, the God of the mountains remained calm. He used his power to raise the mountains and move the hills to stop the flood and protect the people and their domestic animals. The creatures of the mountain battled against the God of the seas and after some time, the God of the seas withdrew. My Nuong and the God of the Mountains were able to continue living together.

However, the God of the seas never gave up on Mỵ Nương. He continues to use his power to wage war with the God of the mountains. The higher the God of the seas made the water rise, the higher the God of the mountains made the hills and mountains rise. This is why there are many floods and prolonged rain storms every year. This myth explains the flooding seasonal patterns in Vietnam.

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