38. Sword Lake
Category – History & Culture.
Every area of the globe seems to have an “Excalibur” legend, a story about a magical sword that changes its owner’s destiny, transforming them into ruler of the land and driving away conquering enemies. Sword Lake in the center of Hanoi gets its name from just such a legend. In Vietnam, the enchanted sword was loaned for a brief time, then returned to an underground world. The powerful weapon got snatched away by a golden tortoise and taken underwater, never to be seen again. That’s why the full name for this body of water is “Lake of the Returned Sword.”
The emperor who used the sword to drive away invading Chinese lived in the 15th century, before Hanoi’s downtown lake was expanded and became a park. The current Sword Lake is man-made, an artificial construction. Everyone hopes the hole to the underground world wasn’t corked in the process of making the new lake. Perhaps someday the golden tortoise will reappear – even if he doesn’t bring the sword.
Questions –
- In Sign of the Rat, what game are the two men playing at lakeside?
- Is it a modern game or an ancient one?
- Does this game have a lot of rules or very few?
- At first glance, this game seems to be a lot easier than chess, more like checkers. But is it that simple?
Assignment – Discover the answer by visiting a non-profit website devoted to traditional games –
Click here to research the answer.
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