There was an ancient tale which I thought was Chinese in origin; about a bell maker who was at the mercy of the emperor. The emperor had commissioned him to make a bell but somehow the bell didn't sound right. Like all ancient tales, the emperor wanted his head but not before giving him a last chance to come out with the perfect bell. His daughter on learning of her father's predicament decided to help. She heard that it required a human sacrifice to make a bell that gave a beautiful sound; so, she jumped into the molten bell which was taking shape in its mould. Her father tried to stop her but just managed to catch hold of one of her shoes. When the bell was ready, the emperor was delighted with it because when rung, it gave a beautiful ring which ended with a xie sound. Xie is 鞋 in Chinese, meaning shoes; and the people who knew of the story believed that it was the bell maker's daughter asking for her shoes. When I visited Gyeongju National Museum in Busan, Korea, I heard of the Emille Bell. It is said that the bell rings with the sound of a child who was sacrificed for its casting.
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