Skip to main content

Tale of betel, areca and limestone

Once upon a time, those were two men named Tan and Lang who were near and dear brothers. Especially, they look very like the other that even their parents also didn’t recognize. Their father who was a tall, burly man and great in art of fighting was the King gifted a last name which was Cao. Cao families had been famous since they had the last name.
When Tan and Lang had grown up their parents died. They still lived together they always went together.
betel, areca, limestone
The father had entrusted Tan to a great teacher who named Luu before he died but when Tan went to study, Lang also wanted to go with he didn’t want be at home alone. Therefore, they went together.
Teacher Luu had a daughter who was a beautiful, clever girl. She was curious to know how to distinguish them. One day, she gave them little porridge that was only enough for a person. She hid herself behind a corner and observed. She saw a man (who was Tan) gave up the bowl of porridge to the other. She mumbled:
“Oh, the man, who was happy man, was you”.  
Tan and the girl had made few dates since that time. Then they fell in love with the other. The teacher realized their love and agreed them to marry.
After marrying, they came to a new house with Lang to live. Although Tam still loved his bother as previous time, he now spent lest time for him.
To Lang, he felt that Tan was keeping away him. He thought: “Maybe, he leaves me because of his wife”. Therefore, he felt so sad.
One day, Tan and Lang went to field together but Lang came back early. When he had just landed his feet into the house, the wife from the kitchen ran out and hugged him.
“Sister, It’s me, Lang”, he said loudly.
While they was feeling confused, Tan came in.
Lang realized Tan was jealous. He also knew that Tan had not loved him as previous time so he planned to go away. He followed a road until he saw a river which flowed so strong. He couldn’t go cross the river. He looked around, didn’t see any house and any animal but he didn’t want to come back. He sat on riverside; his head was down on the pillow and started crying. He cried and cried until the next day he died. Exactly, he was petrified.
Tan had not seen Lang came back for few days. He felt very sorry so he came to all people they knew to take a look. But, he couldn’t find Lang. He was frightened, ran to find Lang. He followed the road Lang had passed, arrived the river. He couldn’t get pass the river so he went along the riverside. At last, he saw Lang who had been petrified. He stood by the limestone and cried until he died. He transformed into an areca tree which stood by the limestone.
The wife had waited his husband for few days but she didn’t see he came back. She was so worry, and went to find him. The river, another time, prevented from crossing. The poor woman sat by the areca tree and cried until tears were dried. Then she died, transformed into a betel tree which twined around the areca tree.
The teacher and his wife had waited for them but they had not come back for a long time. They and other people went to find them but they only found out strange trees and a strange stone. They built a temple on the riverside for them.
One year, it wasn’t rain all trees were dried but two trees near the stone front the temple were still green. One day, when the King passed the temple he was surprised because of strange trees. He asked his servant.
“What are the trees? Why was the temple built?
Servants didn’t know the answer so they found old people to ask.
The King felt moving as he heard the whole story about three of them. He forced servants to climb up the areca tree, took down its fruit and tasted it. It had acrid flavor but when he ate it with a leaf of the betel tree, they had sweet and spice taste.
“Bloooood!” said a noble loudly.
 He spitted immediately on the stone. The place where the stone had saliva was changed to red color. The King felt curious, he took three things and chewed them. A felling that made people who chewed fell warm as though they drunk, their lips and their cheeks became ruddy.
“That is so marvelous as though their love, so warm” said the King.
He made a rule that people who want to marry had to collect enough three things: betel, areca and limestone for people ate in order to remember the love of Tan, Lang and the wife.
Now day, betel, areca and limestone still are important things in the vietnamese wedding
THE END ☪☪☪

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Gorgon

In Greek mythology, a Gorgon  is a mythical creature portrayed in ancient Greek literature. While descriptions of Gorgons vary across Greek literature and occur in the earliest examples of Greek literature, the term commonly refers to any of three sisters who had hair made of living, venomous snakes, as well as a horrifying visage that turned those who beheld her to stone. Traditionally, while two of the Gorgons were immortal, Stheno and Euryale, their sister Medusa was not and she was slain by the demigod and hero Perseus. The large Gorgon eyes, as well as Athena 's "flashing" eyes, are symbols termed "the divine eyes" by Gimbutas (who did not originate the perception); they appear also in Athena's sacred bird, the owl. They may be represented by spirals, wheels, concentric circles, swastikas, firewheels, and other images. Anyone who would gaze into their eyes would be turned to stone instantly. Essential Reads: Engaging Books You Can't Miss...

Scylla And Nisus

MINOS was the first king to control the Mediterranean Sea, which he cleared of pirates, and in Crete ruled over ninety cities. When the Athenians had murdered his son Androgeus, he decided to take vengeance on them, and sailed around the Aegean collecting ships and armed levies. Some islanders agreed to help him, some refused. Siphnos yielded to him by the Princess Arne, whom he bribed with gold; the gods changed her into a jackdaw which loves gold and all things that glitter. He made an alliance with the people of Anaphe, but rebuffed by King Aeacus of Aegina and departed, swearing revenge. Aeacus then answered an appeal from Cephalus to join the Athenians against Minos . b. Meanwhile, Minos was partying the Isthmus of Corinth. He laid siege to Nisa, ruled by Nisus the Egyptian, who had a daughter name Scylla. A tower stood in the city, built by Apollo [and Poseidon ?], an at its foot lay a musical stone which, if pebbles were dropped upon from above, rang like a lyre-because Ap...

Sisyphus

SISYPHUS, son of Aeolus, married Atlas ’s daughter Merope, the Pleiad, who bore him Glaucus , Ornytion , and Sinon, and owned a fine herd of cattle on the Isthmus of Corinth. b. Near him lived Autolycus , son of Chione , whose twin-brother Philammon was begotten by Apollo , though Autolycus himself claimed Hermes as his father. c. Now, Autolycus was a past master in theft, Hermes having given him the power of metamorphosing whatever beasts he stole, from horned to unhorned, or from black to white, and contrariwise. Thus although Sisyphus noticed that his own herds grew steadily smaller while those of Autolycus increased, he was unable at first to accuse him of theft; and therefore, one day, engraved the inside of all his cattle’s hooves with the monogram SS or, some say, with the words ‘Stolen by Autolycus’. That night Autolycus helped himself as usually and at dawn hoof-prints along the road provided Sisyphus with sufficient evidence to summon neighbours in witness of the th...