ÃÂu Cá (chữ Hán: çÂÂ姬; ) was, according to the creation myth of the Vietnamese people, an immortal mountain snow goddess who married Lạc Long Quân (), and bore an egg sac that hatched a hundred children known collectively as Bách Viá»Ât, ancestors to the Vietnamese people. ÃÂu Cá is often honored as the mother of Vietnamese civilization.
ÃÂu Cá was a beautiful tiên (immortal) who lived high in the snow-capped mountains. She traveled to help those who suffered from illnesses since she was very skillful in medicine and had a sympathetic heart. One day, a monster suddenly appeared before her while she was on her travels. It frightened her, so she transformed into a crane to fly away. Lạc Long Quân, the dragon king from the sea, passed by and saw the crane in danger. He grabbed a nearby rock and killed the monster with it. When ÃÂu Cá stopped flying to see the very person that saved her, she turned back into a tiên (immortal) and instantly fell in love with her savior. She soon bore an egg sac, from which hatched a hundred children. However, despite their love for each other, ÃÂu Cá had always desired to be in the mountains again and Lạc Long Quân, too, yearned for the sea where the length of days are measured by seasons. They separated, each taking 50 children. ÃÂu Cá settled in the Vietnamese snow-covered mountains where she raised fifty young, intelligent, strong leaders, later known as the Hùng Vðáng, Hùng kings.
The books ÃÂại Viá»Ât sá» ký toàn thð (from the 15th century) and Lénh Nam chÃÂch quái (Wonders plucked from the dust of Linh-nam, from the 14th century) mention the legend. In ÃÂại Viá»Ât sá» ký toàn thð ÃÂu Cá is the daughter of ÃÂế Lai (also known as ÃÂế Ai å¸ÂÃ¥ÂÂ, or Emperor Ai, who was a descendant of Shennong), while in Lénh Nam chÃÂch quái, ÃÂu Cá was ÃÂế Lai's concubine before she married off to Lạc Long Quân. Additionally in Lénh Nam chÃÂch quái, ÃÂu Cá gave birth to an egg sac but threw it away in the field, believing the egg sac to carry bad omens. Ngô Sé Liên commented in the sá» ký on the somewhat primitive nature of the relationship between the two progenitors, given that Lạc's father Kinh Dðáng Vðáng and ÃÂu's grandfather ÃÂế Nghi were brothers. The story of ÃÂu Cá and Lạc Long Quân is taught widely in Vietnamese schools.
In her pamphlet about the Vietnam War, called simply "Vietnam", the American author Mary McCarthy mentions the use of the Vietnamese creation myth by American agents seeking to rally patriotic support for South Vietnam.