A Study Of Tay’s “Swan Maiden Type” Story In North Viet Nam

Swan Maiden Tale referred to as “Sweater Girl"”or “Feathered Fairy”story, was widely circulated throughout the world. It is loved by people for its poetic scenes,beautiful pictures,sublime ideals and devoted love.The Swan Maiden Tale is also widely spread in North Cultural District of Tay Settlements in Northern Vietnam.However, due to the changes of history and the evolution of culture,such stories of Tay in North Vietnam have its unique ethnic characteristics.I collect 43 stories about the Swan Maiden Tale from the North Cultural District of North Tay Settlements in Vietnam, select 8 stories( 5 from the northeast, 3 from the northwest) as typical variants and translate them into Chinese. From the comparison of the main plots, motifs and tpyes of those stories in Northeast and Northwest, I found that such stories of Tay in Northeast of Vietnam were much more influenced by the Chuang nationality in Guangxi Province of China; while the stories of Tay in Northeast of Vietnam were much more affected by the Dai nationality in Yunnan province of China and the Kinh in Vietnam.This paper is divided into five parts. In the Introduction, I simply introduce the writing purpose, significance, methods, the current situation of research at home and abroad, and give a sketch about the cultural characteristics of Tay in North of Vietnam.In Chapter One, I briefly define the Swan Maiden Tale in Northern Vietnam,select 8 typical variants( 5 from the northeast, 3 from the northwest), which are different from the Westworld, China and Japan, then make a brief introduce about its spreading profiles and the outline of the story, and make a brief analysis of its main plot.In Chapter Two, focusing on those 8 typical variants of Tay in Northern Vietnam,I make an analysis of its motifs and a division of its types. By the analysis of motifs, I found that those stories of Tay in Northern Vietnam have unique motifs, such as eating coloured sticky rice, the origin of cock(red-tailed gulls, ducks), the origin of growing rice, the origin of Long Tong gatherings and so on. By the analysis of types,I found that such stories of Tay in Northern Vietnam have a special type--compoundinterpretating type. Finally, I divide the Swan Maiden Tale in Northern Vietnam into six categories: the type of birdie seeking for mother, the type of courtship with puzzles( the sub-type of Cowherd and the Weaving Maid, Peacock Princess),compound-interpretating type( the sub-type of the origin of custom, the origin of animal and phenomenon explaination), birds clothing type( the sub-type of frying bullies and poignant killing), the type of divine guidance( the sub-type of fairy guidance and witchcraft guidance) and the type of animal gratitude.In Chapter Three, by the analysis of the cultural implication of the Swan Maiden Tale in Northern Vietnam, I found those stories contain rich and unique traditional culture of Tay, including rice culture, bird worship, Long Tong gatherings and coloured sticky rice. I believe the Swan Maiden Tale in Northern Vietnam express that the Tay people in Nortnern Vietnam experienced a process rom respecting and worshiping of nature, uitilizing and transforming nature to be in harmony with nature.In conclusion, I conclude the features of the Swan Maiden Tale of Tay in Northern Vietnam once more, and state the lack of my ideas and the directions pre-research in future.