Respect

Stories with the Respect theme:

• The Legend of the Five-Fruit Tray Aug 10, 2025

  

  In ancient times, when the land of Vietnam was young and the customs of Tết were first being established, there lived a poor but devoted farmer named Phúc in a village along the Red River. Despite his humble circumstances, Phúc was known throughout the region for his exceptional filial piety and his deep respect for his ancestors.

  Phúc lived in a small bamboo house with his elderly mother, Bà Hiền, whose name meant “virtuous lady.” Though they owned only a tiny plot of land that barely produced enough rice to sustain them, their home was always filled with love, laughter, and the sweet fragrance of incense burning before their ancestral altar.

• The Legend of the Pomelo Tree Aug 10, 2025

  

  In the ancient province of An Giang, where the Mekong River spreads into countless channels that nourish the fertile delta, there once lived a young farmer named Hiếu whose name meant “filial piety” in the old language. True to his name, Hiếu was known throughout the region for his deep respect and care for his elderly grandfather, Ông Bưởi.

  Ông Bưởi was ninety years old, bent with age and nearly blind, but his mind remained sharp and his heart overflowed with wisdom gained from a long life of observing the cycles of nature and the ways of people. Though many in the village saw him as a burden who could no longer contribute to the family’s welfare, Hiếu treasured every moment with his grandfather and sought his advice on all important matters.

• The Pooka's Trick Aug 10, 2025

  

  In the wild hills of County Kerry, where the mist rolls in from the Atlantic Ocean and the ancient stone circles still stand guard over secrets older than memory, there lived a particularly mischievous spirit known as a Pooka. This Pooka was famous throughout the countryside for his love of playing tricks on unsuspecting travelers, especially those who were too proud or too foolish to show proper respect for the old ways.

• The Story of the God Aegir Aug 9, 2025

  

  Beneath the heave and hush of the sea, where sunlight falls in coins and the currents hum like harp strings, stands a hall whose pillars are whale-bone and whose roof is kelp stitched with pearls. This is the hall of Aegir, the sea’s old king and master of ale, whose beard is the foam of breakers and whose laugh rolls like a friendly wave along a stony shore.

  The skalds tell that Aegir and his wife, Rán of the net, have hosted feasts that even the Aesir praise. On a day when the winds were gentle and the longships idled like gulls, the gods came to Aegir’s threshold to share bread and stories.

• The Tale of the Clever Daughter-in-Law Aug 2, 2025

  

  In a prosperous village in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam, where ancient traditions ran as deep as the fertile soil, there lived a wealthy merchant family known throughout the region for their strict adherence to customs and their high expectations for family members. The patriarch of this family, Master Hoang, was particularly traditional in his views and had very specific ideas about how daughters-in-law should behave in his household.