''The Tale of the Judge of Tản Viên Temple'' (, ''Tản Viên từ phán sự lục'') is a Vietnamese

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

told in ''

Truyền kỳ mạn lục The ''Truyền kỳ mạn lục'' (傳奇漫錄, "Casual Records of Transmitted Strange Tales") is a 16th-century Vietnam, Vietnamese historical text, in part a collection of legends, by Nguyễn Dữ (阮嶼) composed in Classical Chinese. T ...

'' by

Nguyễn Dữ Nguyễn Dữ (chữ Hán ( , ) are the Chinese characters that were used to write Literary Chinese in Vietnam, Literary Chinese (; ) and Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary in Vietnamese language, Vietnamese. They were officially used in Vietnam after ...

in the

16th century The 16th century began with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (represented by the Roman numerals MDI) and ended with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (MDC), depending on the reckoning used (the Gregorian calend ...

In ''Truyền kỳ mạn lục''

''The Tale of the Judge of Tản Viên Temple'' is the eighth story of Nguyễn Dữ's ''Truyền kỳ mạn lục'' collection, published in the second volume.

Ngô Tử Văn is an upright and vehement man who lives in Yên Dũng, Lạng Giang. In the Ming invasion, a Chinese general was killed and his spirit took over a temple in the region, tormenting the local people since. This angers Tử Văn, so he burns down the temple. Later, Tử Văn falls ill and a man wearing a helmet appears, demanding him to rebuild the temple or be sued in the underworld. Ignored by Tử Văn, the man leaves. Another man appears and congratulates Tử Văn for his deed. The old man introduces himself as a former official of
Lý Nam Đế Lý Nam Đế (chữ Hán: 李南帝, 503 – 13 April 548), personal name Lý Bí or Lý Bôn (李賁), was the founding emperor of the Early Lý dynasty of Vietnam, ruling from 544 to 548. He was originally a magistrate of the Chinese Liang dy ...
and now a Soil God, and says that the other man is the evil spirit of a Chinese general who has occupied his temple, forcing him to take shelter at Tản Viên Temple. Claiming that the spirit has bribed nearby local gods to cover his misdeeds, he advises Tử Văn to prepare for his impending arrest. At night, two demon soldiers arrest and escort Tử Văn to a giant and towering palace next to a river full of demons. Tử Văn pleads for his innocence, so he is taken in to meet
Yama Yama (), also known as Kāla and Dharmarāja, is the Hindu god of death and justice, responsible for the dispensation of law and punishment of sinners in his abode, Naraka. He is often identified with Dharmadeva, the personification of ''Dharm ...
, the Lord of Death. The helmet-wearing man is the plaintiff. Tử Văn reports what the Soil God has told him. Yama sends men to Tản Viên Temple to take witness account, confirming Tử Văn's report. The Lord of Death sentences the spirit to the nine levels of hell, and sends Tử Văn back to his body. A month later, the old man visits Tử Văn and informs him that Tản Viên Temple is in need of a judge and that he has recommended Tử Văn for the position. Tử Văn gladly accepts and passes away. In 1414, an acquaintance of Tử Văn sees him riding a carriage in the mist outside of
Đông Quan Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
.

Education

The story is a lesson included in the second volume of Vietnam's national textbook for Grade 10 students.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tale of the Judge of Tản Viên Temple, The) Works set in the 1410s Lê dynasty in fiction Stories within Truyền kỳ mạn lục Fiction about the afterlife Fiction about resurrection Historical fantasy novels Legends