Vietnamese Mythology Retold: Prologue (Pt.2)
Let's talk about dragons!
Before we begin, I think a disclaimer is apt.
Disclaimers: As with all stories, there will be names, strange names and long names, names in a different language, names that will appear a thousand times like that annoying friend, and names that you will only come by in passing. The thing about names is, the important ones stick. So, relax, breath, and let’s thing takes its course. In due time, the friendship you make with these gods will blossom.
But, to make it easier, here’s a family tree of the main actors.
Let us begin.
Last time, there was a demon, merfolk and fishfolk, and a Palace. This time, we get to learn of the residents of Long Cung. The story of the Water Dragons, however, goes beyond the borders of Vietnam, and even time itself.
Before there was Something, there was Nothing.
When it first gained consciousness, The Universe saw Nothing, an endless expanse of black that you couldn’t see your own hand if you raised it in front of your face. Then The Universe realized he was closing his eyes, and when he opened them, he saw Something. He saw Chaos birthing Erebus - Darkness. And deep inside Erebus was the twin: Hypnos - Sleep, and Thanatos - Death. Fear came along, as the natural reaction of all things to Death. As The Universe rubbed the drowsiness from his eyes, perhaps a bit too hard, he saw squiggly lines floating around Something, and decided to call them dragons, the first of their kind, because they were quote “dragging themselves along.”
Nobody knew when dragons came to Earth. Ouranous, Father Sky, once said “those buggers” - referring to the dragons - were there before he was, “just buzzing around. They didn’t seem to be bothering anybody, and usually, they will leave if you flick them a gem or something shiny. I was ready to smite all of them, but my wife said they were “kinda cute,” so we kept them around.”
His wife, Gaia, has this to say:
Oh yeah, I remembered seeing them even before my son Pontus (The Sea) was born. They took a liking to him immediately though, probably because they couldn’t stay with my husband for too long. I mean, who could (laugh). Most of them lived deep underwater and avoided my land, so it was hard to see them. But they were just so cute I had to get some for myself.
“But they were just so cute I had to get some for myself.”
So, I thought of this brilliant plan to bait them with a bunch of shiny, golden rocks. I had to wait a few days for it to work, but eventually, they came gathering in hordes, taking as much as their tiny claws could carry and immediately flew away. Some returned to the Ocean, but soon figured they couldn’t hide their shiny rocks very well, started building houses. Others, these ones I loved, dug caves on my land to store their nuggets. Quite a rowdy and paranoid bunch, those dragons. I said to them “No one wants your gold, for god’s sake I gave them to you!” but some of them didn’t believe me and moved to Asia, as far away from my mansion as possible. I got some in the end, so I was happy.
Thus came the split in the dragonkin’s evolution line: The two-legged, two-winged Wyverns, the worm-like Wyrms that could barely fly, and the Water Dragons (Thủy Long). Unlike their cousins, who chose holy matrimony with their treasure until Death did them apart, Water Dragons are more sociable creatures who enjoy governing empires. Well, Empire. Singular. There are many Long Cung scattered around the globe, but they all served a single emperor, one Động Đình Quân who decided his Palace would best be built in a certain demon’s navel.
Động Đình Quân, the King of Dragons, Ruler of the Four Seas, Lord of the Wet Navel (Động Đình Quân was sometimes called Vua Thủy Tề, literally translated to King of the Wet Bellybutton, you can imagine why), was Zeus without the constant frolicking with humans. He possessed all the power of his Greek counterpart: calling rain, casting thunderbolts, summoning whirlwinds. As long as the people paid tribute, he was willing to help. Many a region under his influence thrived agriculturally (China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam are in the Top 5 List of countries with the largest production of rice in 2021). As with all Gods, their reputation as benevolent is only matched by their feats of rage. If Zeus condemned a Titan to have his intestines ripped out every morning, then our Navel Lord once asked a kid to offer his skin and bones to appease him (granted, the kid in question was a demigod who wrecked Long Cung. More on this story later, but kids will be kids and all that). In fact, Zeus and Động Đình Quân are great friends. After Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia (yes, Hestia was very important, please remember her) fought against the Titans and claimed his place on the throne, he made a pact with Động Đình Quân and Odin to be co-ruler of The Sky (who gets which part shouldn’t be difficult to figure out).
The fishfolks, besides the fact that humans hunted their newborns for food, also hated the two-legged, land-loving men because of their privilege. While a common catfish advisor had to work their scales off to even catch a glimpse of the Water Dragons, the farmers above got a tissue hand-delivered before they even sneezed. None of the fishfolks had ever come close to holding hands with a Palace Noble, but lo and behold, Động Đình Quân was willing to marry off his daughter to a random finless king. What do men have that fish don’t? Are their faith somehow stronger, their beliefs more believable, their offerings more expensive?
As the day of the wedding drew closer, questions and doubts soon grew into anger. And gods and dragons and men alike shall learn of the horror that dwells in the ocean depths.
Next time, a war, a wedding, the birth of the Vietnamese people.