(continued from The Demon of Thất Diệu Mountain 2) From above, she could see the old wizard carrying her body toward a flat rock, and began an incessant muttering, barely pausing just to take a breath.  It sounded like a chant or a spell-binding, but she could understand his words completely. He was telling her... Continue Reading →

(Continued from The Demon of Thất Diệu Mountain) Kim Điền was taken to the court wizard, a frail old man of wizened stature, but with eyes that pierced through one's soul.  She had only met him once before, but she knew who he was---the Royal High Wizard Cao Sơn.   He looked at Kim Điền, and... Continue Reading →

Once upon a time, (in the year 208 BC to be exact), there was a beautiful princess named Kim Điền.  One of the youngest children of Emperor Hùng Duệ Vương 18th of Vietnam, she was born to a minor concubine, but stood out amongst her siblings as a stunning beauty with high intellect.  Gifted with... Continue Reading →

Pssst.  Come closer.  I have something to tell you.  It is scary, but it needs to be told so we can shed light on this.  You ready? One of the most powerful, most evil black magic known to man is called the Bùa Thiên Linh Cái.  Forget using plants and animals, or even dead fetuses. ... Continue Reading →

In my previous post regarding the Dark Warrior, Huyền Vũ 1: The Black Tortoise, I detailed my search for this mythical hero. I bounced around from historic materials, to mythology, to star charts, and I was able to determine a couple of things concretely. 257 BCE was the initial point in time when we Viets... Continue Reading →

(Continued from Hungry Ghosts 1: Vu Lan Season) It is common knowledge that dogs, cats, and especially little children, are not allowed to be present at a Cầu Hồn (evocation or conjuration ritual), a Triệu Hồn (summoning ritual), or a Cầu Siêu (there is no equivalent English word) . I know because the first time I... Continue Reading →

Magic spells are power words. We modern people are not the only ones who know that the written word is extremely powerful.  People in ancient days also understood this very well. For a not-so-ancient Taobabe, whether words are written in my native language Vietnamese, or in my third language, English, doesn't really matter.  They are... Continue Reading →

(Continued from Black Sorcery and Other Horrifying Bùa Ngải) This is hardly the kind of subject I want to be writing about after dusk, in a darkened room in the middle of winter, with a storm raging overhead.  I was going to wait until morning time to work on it, but I am nothing if... Continue Reading →

I debated with myself for a long time, whether I should do this posting.  It really is frightening. It's frightening because it exposes the depravity of the human soul, and how utterly dark this world can sometimes become, and I am not about spreading more darkness into our world.  We have enough of that.  However,... Continue Reading →

Cats I like cats.  In fact, when I was younger, my family owned several.  Missy was my favorite. She was a black street cat that always came home for dinner, and then slept with us, but during the day, she was constantly on the prowl, looking for mice and birds to supplement her meal.  And... Continue Reading →