The Trainwreck Labs Newsletter
Coming to your inbox every Monday with a brand new fun-fact and all the answers to Trainwreck Labs games from the past week.
This week, we have…
A fun fact inspired by a recent Globle: Capitals answer
Answers to last week's games
Reader survey
The sword lake in the heart of Hanoi
Golden Turtle God considered going to battle himself, but decided that it wouldn’t be a fair fight. Image generated by DALL-E.
Nestled in the heart of Vietnam's capital city is a freshwater lake that holds a legendary history. Hoan Kiem Lake sits in the Old Quarter of Hanoi (Capitals answer November 6), surrounded by pedestrian streets, restaurants and shops. Its name translates to Lake of the Returned Sword in homage to a fifteenth century tale about an emperor fighting invaders from China's Ming Dynasty. Previously it was named Luc Thuy Lake, or Green Water Lake, thanks to its colour.
According to legend, the Golden Turtle God lent the ruler, Emperor Le Loi, a magical sword to chase away invaders and usher in an era of peace. After ten years, the emperor defeated the invaders and achieved independence. Later, while the emperor was boating on the lake, a giant turtle appeared and demanded the emperor return the sword to him, which he promptly did. The turtle and the sword disappeared into the lake, and it was renamed.
The lake is home to turtles today, and there is a monument called Turtle Tower on an island in the centre of the lake as well. Turtle Tower is one of the most recognizable icons of Hanoi. It was built to make the emperor's fishing more comfortable in the 1400s. In 1890, the French built a miniature Statue of Liberty on top, which was removed in 1945 after French control was overthrown.
While the existence of the sword may be mythical, Le Loi was a real emperor whose dynasty spanned 360 years. His story has similar echos to another tale of a sword in a lake, that of King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake. Excalibur, the magical sword, was also returned to the lake when Arthur died.
Learn more
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho%C3%A0n_Ki%E1%BA%BFm_Lake
https://flavorsofhanoi.com/blog/hoan-kiem-lake-and-surrounding-landmarks/
https://vinpearl.com/en/hoan-kiem-lake-explore-the-iconic-place-in-the-heart-of-hanoi
https://www.thenotsoinnocentsabroad.com/blog/the-legend-of-hoan-kiem-lake-in-the-hanoi-old-quarter
Trivia
Hanoi is also home to Long Bien Bridge, which was designed by the same architect responsible for which iconic monument?
Answers to last week's games
Monday, November 4 to Sunday, November 10.
Globle
Nov 4 South Korea
Nov 5 United Kingdom
Nov 6 Thailand
Nov 7 Albania
Nov 8 Cabo Verde
Nov 9 Barbados
Nov 10 Mozambique
Nov 11 Play now!
Globle: Capitals
Nov 4 Nouakchott
Nov 5 Maseru
Nov 6 Hanoi
Nov 7 Port Moresby
Nov 8 Riga
Nov 9 Cairo
Nov 10 Bishkek
Nov 11 Play now!
Chronogram
#583 John Lennon
#584 Anne Boleyn
#585 Marshall McLuhan
#586 Emily Brontë
#587 Vladimir Lenin
#588 Aristotle
#589 Harry Houdini
#590 Play now!
Fictogram
#351 Steve Rogers
#352 Prospero
#353 Homer Simpson
#354 Luke Jackson
#355 Blondie Bumstead
#356 Santiago
#357 Thor
#358 Play now!
Metazooa
#462 capuchin
#463 king cobra
#464 giant squid
#465 red fox
#466 rattlesnake
#467 komodo dragon
#468 seal
#469 Play now!
Metaflora
#401 lotus
#402 date
#403 garlic
#404 thyme
#405 coca
#406 parsley
#407 chamomile
#408 Play now!
Linxicon
The following are the shortest paths from last week:
#266 tale -> literature -> law -> license
#267 sleep -> rest -> functioning -> vital -> crucial
#268 throat -> voice -> evoke -> inspire
#269 scholar -> mathematician -> mathematics -> addition -> add
#270 probably -> probable -> probability -> counting -> count
#271 cabinet -> door -> enter -> participate
#272 onion -> cellar -> warehouse -> corporate
#273 Play now!
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading!
Before you go…
Need a hint, and can’t wait for next week’s newsletter? Join the Trainwreck Labs Discord server!
