VIETNAM | Monday, 22 October 2012 | Views [828]
The myth behind the "Lake of the Restored Sword" is that an ancient turtle god, living in the lake, produced a magical sword to help the Vietnamese defeat the Chinese invaders who'd occupied VIetnam for 1000 years. It worked, and then the turtle reclaimed the sword back down into the lake. Today some believe that a local species of giant turtle- found only in this lake- are descendants or reincarnations of the turtle god, and they still protect the sword in the lake. They have one stuffed and on display in the lake's temple!
