Âu Cơ
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Âu Cơ ( Chữ Hán: ; ) was, according to the creation myth of the
Vietnamese people The Vietnamese people ( vi, người Việt, lit=Viet people) or Kinh people ( vi, người Kinh) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to modern-day Northern Vietnam and Southern China (Jing Islands, Dongxing, Guangxi). The native la ...
, an
immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film ''The Wisdom of ...
mountain snow fairy who married Lạc Long Quân (), and bore an egg sac that hatched a hundred children known collectively as Bách Việt, ancestors to the
Vietnamese people The Vietnamese people ( vi, người Việt, lit=Viet people) or Kinh people ( vi, người Kinh) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to modern-day Northern Vietnam and Southern China (Jing Islands, Dongxing, Guangxi). The native la ...
. Âu Cơ is often honored as the mother of
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
ese
civilization A civilization (or civilisation) is any complex society characterized by the development of a state, social stratification, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyond natural spoken language (namely, a writing system). ...
.


Mythology

Âu Cơ was a beautiful young fairy who lived high in the snow-capped mountains. She traveled to help those who suffered from illnesses since she was very skillful in medicine and had a sympathetic heart. One day, a monster suddenly appeared before her while she was on her travels. It frightened her, so she transformed into a crane to fly away. Lạc Long Quân, the dragon king from the sea, passed by and saw the crane in danger. He grabbed a nearby rock and killed the monster with it. When Âu Cơ stopped flying to see the very person that saved her, she turned back into a fairy and instantly fell in love with her savior. She soon bore an egg sac, from which hatched a hundred children. However, despite their love for each other, Âu Cơ had always desired to be in the mountains again and Lạc Long Quân, too, yearned for the sea where the length of days are measured by seasons. They separated, each taking 50 children. Âu Cơ settled in the Vietnamese snow covered mountains where she raised fifty young, intelligent, strong leaders, later known as the Hùng Vương, Hùng kings.


In Vietnamese literature

The books ''
Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư The ''Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư'' ( vi-hantu, 大越史記全書; ; ''Complete Annals of Đại Việt'') is the official national chronicle of the Vietnamese state, that was originally compiled by the royal historian Ngô Sĩ Liên under ...
'' (from the 15th century) and '' Lĩnh Nam chích quái'' (''Wonders plucked from the dust of Linh-nam'', from the 14th century) mention the legend. In ''
Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư The ''Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư'' ( vi-hantu, 大越史記全書; ; ''Complete Annals of Đại Việt'') is the official national chronicle of the Vietnamese state, that was originally compiled by the royal historian Ngô Sĩ Liên under ...
'' Âu Cơ is the daughter of Đế Lai (also known as Đế Ai 帝哀, or Emperor Ai, who was a descendant of
Shennong Shennong (), variously translated as "Divine Farmer" or "Divine Husbandman", born Jiang Shinian (), was a mythological Chinese ruler known as the first Yan Emperor who has become a deity in Chinese and Vietnamese folk religion. He is vene ...
), while in Lĩnh Nam chích quái, Âu Cơ was Đế Lai’s concubine before she married off to Lạc Long Quân. Additionally in Lĩnh Nam chích quái, Âu Cơ gave birth to an egg sac but threw it away in the field, believing the egg sac to carry bad omens.
Ngô Sĩ Liên Ngô Sĩ Liên (吳士連) was a Vietnamese historian of the Lê dynasty. He was the principal compiler of the ''Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư'', a comprehensive chronicle of the history of Vietnam and the oldest official historical record of ...
commented in the ''sử ký'' on the somewhat primitive nature of the relationship between the two progenitors, given that Lạc's father Kinh Dương Vương and Âu's grandfather Đế Nghi were brothers. The story of Âu Cơ and Lạc Long Quân is taught widely in Vietnamese schools.Jonathan D London ''Education in Vietnam'' 2011 Page 68 "Âu Cơ origin goddess" In her pamphlet about the Vietnam War, called simply "Vietnam", the American author Mary McCarthy mentions the use of the Vietnamese creation myth by American agents seeking to rally patriotic support for South Vietnam.


Notes


References


Sources

*Friedman, Amy. "One Hundred Kings – a Legend of Ancient Vietnam", ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', 12 July 2005, pg. 8 *Taylor, Sandra C. ''Vietnamese Women at War'' (Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 1999) *Turner, Karen Gottschang. ''Even the Women Must Fight'' (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1998) *Willing, Indigo A. “The Adopted Vietnamese Community: From Fairy Tales to the Diaspora”, ''Michigan Quarterly Review 43'', no. 4 (2004)


External links


Vietnamese Myths & Legends
* http://www.ancientsites.com/aw/Post/204107 * http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/cultur/vietnam/vitim02e.shtml {{DEFAULTSORT:Au Co Vietnamese mythology Fairies Ancient Vietnam Female legendary creatures Vietnamese deities Vietnamese goddesses