Unveiling the Legend of the Kitchen Gods (Ông Công, Ông Táo)
The Tale of the Radish Spirit
In an ancient era, a young couple lived in poverty, earning their living through humble labor. Despite their modest means, their love for each other was profound. Each evening, they would gather by the hearth or beneath the starry sky, sharing stories and singing songs of love, often forgetting their hunger in the warmth of their bond.
During a severe famine, food became scarce. The couple, as was their habit, sought work from affluent households, but opportunities were few. Many were burdened by debt, unable to afford labor, while the wealthy kept their gates firmly shut, unwilling to be disturbed.
With no other options, the couple turned to the land, catching crabs, gathering snails, digging for roots, and picking vegetables to survive. Though these efforts provided some sustenance, their situation remained dire, and the specter of famine loomed large. One evening, after a meager meal of radish soup, the husband confided in his wife:
“I must leave to seek work elsewhere; I cannot stay here.”
The wife, hearing this, pleaded to accompany him, but the husband refused:
“I do not know where my journey will take me or what I will find. It is better for you to remain here; you will fare better than I. I may not return, and birds may mourn my passing along the way. But perhaps I will return with riches to support you. Fate will decide! Wait for me for three years. If I do not return by then, assume I have perished in a foreign land, and you may remarry.”
The wife wept bitterly, as if attending a funeral, but she had no choice but to let her husband go.
After bidding farewell, the wife found work in a nearby household. Though not wealthy, the family sympathized with her plight and offered her shelter and two meals a day—one of porridge and one of sweet potatoes. Her diligence and beauty earned her the favor of her employers, but her thoughts never strayed from her beloved husband.
Time passed swiftly, and the famine became a distant memory. The wife awaited her husband’s return daily. Three years had passed, marked by the blooming of the pomelo trees in their yard, yet her husband remained absent.
During this time, her employer, who had lost his wife, developed feelings for her. He proposed marriage, but she replied:
“I have promised to wait for my husband for three years. Now, I believe he has passed away. Allow me to mourn him for three years before considering remarriage.”
Another three years passed swiftly, with no news of her husband. Each day, she would gaze longingly at the road, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Eventually, she accepted that he was gone. After a funeral ceremony and a feast for the villagers, she married her new suitor.
Three months later, her first husband returned, unchanged and hopeful of reuniting with his wife. Upon discovering her remarriage, he was devastated but resolved not to disrupt her new life. He bid them farewell, intending to leave forever, but his heart remained tied to his former wife. Tormented by grief, he hanged himself from a banyan tree in the village.
The wife, upon learning of his death, was overcome with guilt. She blamed herself for not waiting longer and for avoiding him upon his return. Consumed by remorse, she took her own life by drowning in the village well the following morning.
The new husband, after arranging his wife’s funeral, became deranged with grief. The deaths of his wife and her former husband weighed heavily on him, and he eventually took his own life by poisoning himself after distributing his wealth to his relatives and donating to the temple.
In the afterlife, the three were brought before Yama, the King of Hell, to judge their actions. The first husband confessed his undying love for his wife, while the new husband admitted his affection for her, though it paled in comparison to her love for her first husband. The wife acknowledged her deep love for both men.
Moved by their story, Yama decided to keep them together forever. He transformed them into the Three Kitchen Gods, symbolizing the eternal flame of their love. They were tasked with overseeing every household’s kitchen, ensuring harmony and prosperity.
Illustration of the Kitchen Gods.
Variations of the Legend of the Kitchen Gods
The legend of the Kitchen Gods has many versions, each with unique details. One version, recounted in “A Brief Study of Vietnamese Mythology” under the section “Kitchen Gods,” goes as follows:
Trương Cao and Thị Nhi were a childless couple. One day, they argued, and Trương Cao, in a fit of anger, struck his wife. She left him and later married another man named Phạm Lang. Trương Cao, realizing his mistake, set out to find her but failed. Penniless, he resorted to begging.
One day, he arrived at Phạm Lang’s home, unaware it was his wife’s new residence. Thị Nhi, recognizing her former husband, invited him in and, fearing her new husband’s return, hid him in a pile of straw in the fields.
Unbeknownst to her, Phạm Lang, intending to use the straw for fertilizer, set it ablaze, inadvertently killing Trương Cao. Thị Nhi, upon discovering her husband’s death, threw herself into the fire, followed by Phạm Lang and his servant, who also perished while attempting to save them. The Jade Emperor, moved by their sacrifice, appointed them as the Kitchen Gods.
The Legend of the Kitchen Gods as Told in Sơn Tây
In another version, a poor couple lived in Sơn Tây. The husband traded incense, and the wife farmed. The husband often traveled, returning only occasionally. After nearly a decade of separation, the wife remarried a hunter and farmer named Lộc, who had a servant named Lộc.
One day, the first husband returned, having escaped captivity by bandits. The wife, unaware of his return, welcomed him and hid him in a straw pile when her new husband and servant returned from hunting. The servant, intending to roast a caught civet, set the straw pile ablaze, accidentally killing the first husband.
Upon discovering the tragedy, the wife threw herself into the fire, followed by her new husband and servant, who also perished. Yama transformed them into the Three Kitchen Gods, with the servant becoming the hearth stopper, forever accompanying them in kitchen depictions.
The Legend of the Kitchen Gods as Recorded in “The Vietnamese People” (1948)
In a different account, a husband suffered from a leprosy-like illness and urged his wife to leave him, falsely accusing her of infidelity with a beggar. She, feeling wronged, jumped into a river but was rescued by the beggar, whom she later married.
The first husband, reduced to begging, arrived at his former wife’s new home. She, recognizing him, gave him food, but he, ashamed, threw himself into a fire. She followed, and her new husband, witnessing her death, also jumped into the flames. In the afterlife, they were appointed as the Kitchen Gods.
The Legend of the Kitchen Gods in Cham-pa Culture
In Cham-pa culture, a dying geomancer instructed his three sons to carry his body south and bury him where it naturally stopped. They did so, and the body stopped on a dragon’s lair. The dragon granted each son a gift: a silver jar, a gold jar, and a jar of divine water. The youngest son, keeping the water jar, accidentally discovered its properties when his wife used it, causing her to become radiant and vegetables to grow unusually large.
The king, captivated by her beauty, abducted her. The husband, determined to win her back, sold oversized vegetables in the capital, using the king’s clothes to deceive the guards. The king, realizing the deception, was burned alive, and the wife, believing her husband dead, followed him into the fire. The husband, witnessing this, also perished. They were later appointed as the Kitchen Gods.
The Legend of the Kitchen Gods in Chinese Culture
In Guangdong, China, the Kitchen God is worshipped on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month. One version of their legend is as follows:
Trương Lang and Đinh Hương were married, but he left to trade and never returned. She, remaining faithful, cared for his parents until their deaths. After a decade, he returned wealthy and divorced her, sending her away with a cart and a cow. She wandered until the cow led her to an old woman’s home, where she married the woman’s son.
Trương Lang, after remarrying, lost his wealth and became blind. Begging on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, he arrived at Đinh Hương’s new home. She, recognizing him, fed him and subtly revealed her identity. Ashamed, he died. The Jade Emperor, noting their connection, appointed him as the Kitchen God, though he is only worshipped with a bowl of noodles, as he died after eating her meal.
The Legend of the Kitchen Gods in Indian Culture
In South India, a tale resembling the Vietnamese legend exists:
Two friends, Soma-raya and Bima-raya, unbeknownst to each other, fell in love with the same woman. Soma-raya, torn between friendship and love, allowed his friend to spend a night with his wife. Bima-raya, realizing the woman’s virtue and her identity, committed suicide. Soma-raya, feeling guilty, followed suit. The wife, upon discovering their deaths, also took her life. The god Shiva, moved by their sacrifice, elevated all three to heaven.
Test Your Knowledge with These Fun Questions
In the tale of the Kitchen Gods, what was the name of Thị Nhi’s second husband?
Answer
Phạm Lang.
In the Sơn Tây version, who transformed the three into the Kitchen Gods?
Answer
Yama.
According to Vietnamese culture, on which day do people bid farewell to the Kitchen Gods?
Answer
23rd day of the 12th lunar month.
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