Years and years ago, a week had ten days, and ten yellow crows took
turns giving out daylight from their bright feathers each day.
One day, they all wanted to be the sun. They fought, flew up,
and all gave light at once. The heat was unbearable to the earth.
A
farmer named Hau Nghe, who never missed with his bow and arrows,
set out to save the earth from the intense heat. He shot down
nine crows and left one to be the only sun.
As
a reward for this heroic act, Hau Nghe was made king of the people.
Now that he was king, he wanted immortality, and so he went in
search of the legendary Linh Chi grass, which would let him live
forever by eating it. In his search for this grass, he turned
very cruel and killed many people.
He
was also looking for the most beautiful woman on earth to become
his wife. In his travels, he visited one village where he saw
Hang Nga, the prettiest among the peasant girls, and took her
away to be his wife.
Hang
Nga was isolated in Hau Nghe’s mansion. She was unhappy
with her husband’s cruelty and was very lonely. She had
only one friend who could cheer her up, a beautiful snowy white
rabbit named Tho Ngoc. Hang Nga and Tho Ngoc sang and danced
with each other all day.
Until
one day, Hang Nga found the Linh Chi grass and ate it. She became
a fairy and flew to the moon, taking Tho Ngoc with her. They
stayed there happily ever after.
