The Legend of the Lotus Flower

Long ago, in the ancient kingdom of Âu Lạc, when dragons still flew over the mountains and fairies danced in the moonlight, there lived a young woman named Sen whose beauty was renowned throughout the land. Her name meant “lotus” in the old language, though at that time, no one had ever seen such a flower, for it did not yet exist in the world.

Sen lived with her elderly parents in a village beside a great lake that reflected the sky like a mirror. She was known not only for her beauty—skin like porcelain, hair like flowing silk, and eyes that sparkled like stars—but also for her pure heart and gentle nature. She tended to the sick, helped the poor, and never spoke an unkind word about anyone.

The fame of Sen’s beauty and virtue reached the ears of the Dragon King who ruled the underwater palace beneath the lake. This was not the Sea Dragon King of the oceans, but Lạc Long Quân, the ancient Dragon King of the lakes and rivers of Vietnam.

One evening, as Sen sat by the water’s edge weaving baskets from reeds, the lake began to glow with an ethereal light. The water parted like silk curtains, and from the depths rose a magnificent palace of pearl and jade. A handsome young man emerged, dressed in robes that shimmered with the colors of deep water.

“Do not be afraid,” he said, his voice like the gentle sound of flowing streams. “I am the Dragon King Lạc Long Quân. I have watched you from my palace below and have fallen deeply in love with your kind heart and pure spirit.”

Sen was amazed but not frightened, for she sensed the nobility and goodness in the Dragon King’s nature. “Your Majesty,” she said, bowing respectfully, “I am honored by your words, but I am only a simple village girl.”

“True beauty comes not from royal blood but from a noble soul,” the Dragon King replied. “Will you come with me to my underwater kingdom and be my queen?”

Sen’s heart was touched by the Dragon King’s sincerity, and she felt her own love growing in response to his. But she looked back at her humble village and thought of her aging parents who depended on her care.

“Great King,” she said sadly, “my heart tells me to go with you, but my duty tells me to stay. My parents are old and have no one else to care for them. How can I abandon them in their time of need?”

The Dragon King admired her loyalty even more after hearing these words. “Your filial devotion only makes me love you more deeply,” he said. “But surely there is a way we can be together.”

For many evenings, the Dragon King would rise from the lake to court Sen with gifts of pearls and jade, with poetry written on leaves of gold, and with songs that made the water itself dance. But Sen always gave the same answer—she could not leave her parents.

As the seasons passed, Sen’s parents noticed their daughter’s sadness. Though she tried to hide it, they could see that her heart was divided between love and duty.

“Daughter,” said her mother one day, “we have lived long lives and seen much happiness because of your care. But we cannot bear to see you sacrifice your own chance for love. Go to your Dragon King. We give you our blessing.”

“Never,” Sen replied firmly. “A daughter who abandons her parents for her own happiness is no daughter at all. I will stay with you until your last breath, and count myself fortunate to do so.”

Her parents wept at their daughter’s devotion, but they also grieved to see her sacrifice her heart for their sake.

Meanwhile, the Dragon King had not given up hope. He consulted with the ancient spirits and the celestial court, seeking a way to bridge the gap between the underwater realm and the human world.

Finally, the Jade Emperor, ruler of all the heavens, took pity on the lovers and their impossible situation. He appeared to Sen in a dream and spoke these words:

“Pure-hearted maiden, your love is true and your filial devotion is perfect. Because you have put duty before desire and others before yourself, I will grant you a choice. You may remain as you are and live a normal human life, or you may be transformed into something that can bring beauty and meaning to the world for all eternity.”

“What kind of transformation, Jade Emperor?” Sen asked.

“You would become a flower that blooms on the water—a bridge between your Dragon King’s realm below and the human world above. Your beauty would inspire poets and painters for countless generations, and your spirit would represent all that is pure and noble in love.”

Sen considered this carefully. “If I become this flower, will I still be able to bring joy to others? Will my existence have meaning?”

“Your flowers will be symbols of purity emerging from muddy waters, representing how beauty can arise from difficult circumstances. Lovers will see your blooms and remember that true love overcomes all obstacles. Your sacrifice will inspire compassion and devotion in human hearts for all time.”

“And my parents?”

“They will understand and be proud, for they will see that their daughter has become something eternal and beautiful that serves all humanity.”

Sen made her choice without hesitation. “I accept this transformation, Jade Emperor. Let me become this flower that brings beauty and meaning to the world.”

The next morning, Sen told her parents and the Dragon King of her decision. Though they were saddened to lose her human form, they understood that this was the only way she could honor both her love and her duty.

That evening, as the full moon rose over the lake, Sen waded into the water until she stood waist-deep near the shore. The Dragon King emerged from his palace one last time to bid her farewell.

“My beloved,” he said, tears flowing down his face, “I will love your new form as much as I loved your human one. I will tend to you and protect you always.”

As Sen spoke her final words of love, a gentle transformation began. Her feet grew roots that anchored in the mud below, while her body became a strong, green stem. Her arms spread wide and became broad, round leaves that floated on the water’s surface, and her face blossomed into the most beautiful flower the world had ever seen—pure white petals touched with pink, surrounding a golden center that glowed like the sun.

The first lotus flower had been born.

The Dragon King was true to his word. He made the lake his permanent home, ensuring that the water was always clean and clear so that Sen’s flowers would bloom in perfect beauty. He commanded the fish to tend the roots and the water birds to sing sweet songs above the flowers.

Sen’s parents lived to see their daughter’s flowers spread throughout the lake and to other waters across the land. They understood that while they had lost their daughter’s physical presence, they had gained something far greater—the knowledge that her spirit would live forever in the beauty of the lotus.

Each spring, when the lotus flowers first bloomed, the people would celebrate the Festival of Sen, remembering the young woman who chose transformation over abandonment of duty. Lovers would exchange lotus flowers as symbols of their commitment to pure love, and children would learn that true beauty comes from sacrifice and devotion to others.

The Dragon King never took another queen. Instead, he spent his immortal life protecting the lotus flowers and ensuring they spread to every suitable body of water in Vietnam. He said that as long as lotus flowers bloomed on the waters, Sen’s spirit lived on, and their love continued.

To this day, the lotus remains Vietnam’s most beloved flower, symbolizing purity, beauty, and the triumph of virtue over adversity. Poets write verses about lotus blossoms emerging from muddy water, representing how something beautiful and pure can grow from difficult circumstances.

And they say that if you sit quietly beside a lotus pond at dawn, when the flowers first open to greet the sun, you can sometimes hear the whispered conversations between Sen and her Dragon King, proving that true love, once given freely, lasts for all eternity.

The legend teaches us that the greatest beauty comes not from avoiding difficulty, but from choosing to create something meaningful and lasting even in the face of impossible choices.