Hoàn Kiếm (Returned Sword) legend

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The Hoàn Kiếm (Returned Sword) legend is a Vietnamese folktale about Emperor Lê Lợi receiving a divine sword to defeat foreign invaders and later returning it to a sacred turtle in Hoàn Kiếm Lake.

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Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Vietnamese legend
folktale
myth
associatedConflict Vietnamese resistance against Ming dynasty
associatedDynasty Later Lê dynasty NERFINISHED
associatedEvent Lam Sơn uprising NERFINISHED
associatedRuler Emperor Lê Lợi NERFINISHED
associatedStructure Ngọc Sơn Temple NERFINISHED
Turtle Tower (Tháp Rùa) NERFINISHED
category Vietnamese mythology NERFINISHED
foundation myths of places
legends about swords
centralMotif heavenly mandate
returning a divine gift
sacred weapon
centralObject divine sword
countryOfOrigin Vietnam NERFINISHED
culturalContext Vietnamese folk religion
Vietnamese nationalism
explainsNameOf Hoàn Kiếm Lake NERFINISHED
explainsToponym “Hoàn Kiếm” (Returned Sword) NERFINISHED
featuresLocation Hanoi NERFINISHED
Hoàn Kiếm Lake NERFINISHED
Thăng Long NERFINISHED
influenced Vietnamese literature
Vietnamese public monuments
Vietnamese visual arts
involvesSupernaturalBeing Golden Turtle God NERFINISHED
sacred turtle
language Vietnamese
mainCharacter Lê Lợi NERFINISHED
moralLesson legitimate rulers act with humility
power granted by heaven must be returned
victory comes from both human effort and divine favor
narrativeTheme divine assistance in war
gratitude and returning borrowed power
legitimization of royal authority
struggle against foreign invaders
plotPoint Lê Lợi receives a magical sword from a divine source NERFINISHED
Lê Lợi returns the sword to the turtle on the lake
Lê Lợi uses the sword to defeat foreign invaders NERFINISHED
a sacred turtle emerges in the lake to reclaim the sword
symbolizes Vietnamese independence
harmony between humans and nature
national sovereignty
righteous kingship
timeSetting early 15th century
period of Ming occupation of Đại Việt

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Turtle Tower associatedWithLegend Hoàn Kiếm (Returned Sword) legend