There is an ancient tale--more like a myth really--that has to do with two non-human entities called Sơn Tinh (the mountain god) and Thủy Tinh (the water god). My family told me of this tale (and other) myths and legends when I was a kid, so I knew the gist of this story which was quite … Continue reading Mountain God vs Water God
(Continued from Cổ Trùng – Dark Sorcery 1) Okay, so the attempt to create a Cổ Trùng was a huge success! The sorcerer has finally created a brand new demonic critter, and so you're thinking he's itching to take it out and see what havoc this thing can wreak amongst the general populace. To that I … Continue reading Cổ Trùng – Dark Sorcery 2
(Continued from Hexagram 18 - Poisonous Dark Sorcery) Cổ Trùng In the ancient world, the word Cổ Trùng include poisonous toads, frogs, snakes, spiders, scorpions, centipedes, as well as various other types of animals we would not normally consider poisonous. This also includes certain types of ticks and butterflies, and even bacteria and viruses. Please … Continue reading Cổ Trùng – Dark Sorcery 1
(Continued from The Demon of Thất Diệu Mountain 3) The Princess Kim Đình continued to watch the old wizard with horrified fascination. She still had possession of her remaining three paternal souls, but perhaps that was because he had not completed the spell yet. The wizard Cao Sơn's eyes were tragic, but his shoulders remained … Continue reading The Demon of Thất Diệu Mountain 4
If you have been reading anything I've written so far in regards to possessions (of the spiritual kind, not of the monetary sort), it would seem as if we Asians view possession as something that is, in and of itself, just an interesting and time-tested method to communicate with folks existing in an alternate dimension. … Continue reading Lên Đồng 5: Possession of the Frightful Kind
(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 The Demon of Thất Diệu Mountain 3
(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 The Demon of Thất Diệu Mountain 2
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 The Demon of Thất Diệu Mountain
At the end of an old street named Phan Chu Trinh, in the ancient city of Hội An, there is a very old banyan tree. This banyan tree held a secret for many many years, until one day, that secret was revealed. The banyan tree had, at the foot of its trunk, a miếu (a … Continue reading Star Chart Stone Shrine of Hội An
A few days ago, I had the opportunity to own a very special instrument called the tỳ bà (琵琶) so I grabbed it with both hands. It is a stringed instrument that looks like a cross between the guitar and the harp but sounds like a very Asian lute. This instrument originated somewhere in ancient … Continue reading Echoing Strains of Tỳ Bà
Thoughts of a Taoist Babe 