The turtle of Hồ Hoàn Kiếm

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An entire city is concerned. Concerned about a turtle, one of the last four surviving turtles of this kind. I talk about the famous turtle in Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi. The “sacred turtle” is an example of living history, a symbol of Vietnam’s independence from the heel of the Chinese occupiers. The turtle is estimated to be about 100 years old. According to an old legend, the animal with the shell is the reincarnation of that mythical animal figure, which gave the waters its name: Ho Hoan Kiem, the Lake of the Restored Sword. In 1418 Le Loi (actually a wealthy landowner, but according to the tradition a poor fisherman) fought up front in the battle against the Chinese occupiers. One day, the legend tells, he didn’t catch a single fish when he threw out his nets in the lake. Instead a golden turtle emerged from the lake and gave him a sword with a gleaming blade. He assumed the gift must come from heaven, and prepared the elevation of his people. With the help of the mythical sword he defeated the Chinese troops and reconquered Hanoi in 1427. The legend also says that he gave a sacrifice to the ghost of the lake, where he was fishing once. But when he arrived with his men at the bank of the lake, the sword slipped from its sheath automatically and turned into a jade-colored dragon, which disappeared in the lake. Now the alarm bells ring. The 220-pound giant turtle is in frail health. When the animal once again showed up in the dingy water of the lake past week, eyewitnesses saw with horror several open wounds on legs and neck. The shell was badly scratched. Probably, the pollution of the lake afflicted the sacred animal. The wounds could also be from hooks or bites by aggressive turtles of another species. Watched by hundreds of people at the bank, veterinarians and divers tried to catch the turtle with nets. But the frightened animal always broke loose. The whole city suffers with the turtle. There is a special rescue team that built an artificial island with a “turtle hospital”. They further attempt to capture the animal. The complete healing and recovery could take up to two years. Best regards Cathrin Cathrin’s Blog: Zwischen Traditionen und Moderne