Thánh Gióng
A folk hero in Vietnam / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thánh Gióng (chữ Nôm: 聖揀),[1] also known as Phù Đổng Thiên Vương (chữ Hán: 扶董天王, Heavenly Prince of Phù Đổng), Sóc Thiên Vương (chữ Hán: 朔天王), Ông Gióng (翁揀, sir Gióng)[2][3] and Xung Thiên Thần Vương (冲天神王, Divine Prince of Heaven) is a mythical folk hero of Vietnam's history and one of The Four Immortals. According to the legend, Gióng was a boy who rode on an iron horse and won against the enemy of the state.[4] The most well known version of the legend had him battle against the Chinese army, thus, he is considered the first anti-invasion hero of the Vietnamese. Some researchers believe he is the Vietnamese version of Vaiśravaṇa.[5]
The folk hero was a popular subject for poets, such as Cao Bá Quát who wrote an epic poem to Thánh Gióng in the 19th century.[6] Today Thánh Gióng features with other legendary figures such as Kinh Dương Vương, Âu Cơ, Sơn Tinh – Thủy Tinh, in elementary school texts.[7]