Thai Urban Legends

There are other legends about Krause, She was formerly a rich lady that had a length of black gauze or ribbon tied around the head and neck as protection from the sunshine. This woman was then possessed by an evil spirit and was cursed to become a Krasue.

For some other legends claim that origin of the spirit may have been a woman trying to learn black magic that made a mistake or used the wrong spell so that her head and body became separated. Past sins are also related to the transmission of the Krasue curse; women who aborted or killed someone in a previous life will become a Krasue as punishment.

Another legend talks about a person being cursed to become a Krasue after having consumed food and drink contaminated with a krasue's saliva or flesh.

The last one Krasue was a lady who was promised to a Siamese nobleman yet loved a soldier of low rank. After being caught with her lover, she was sentenced to death by burning. A sorceress attempted to cast a protection spell, but its effects came on too late, leaving only her intestines, viscera and head unscathed.

Mae Nak

The story of "Mae Nak" (แม่นาค) is perhaps the most famous of all Thai ghosts.

A famous shrine in Bangkok (ศาลแม่นาคพระโขนง) is located near Sukhumvit Road, Soi 101, inside Wat Mahabut. It is containing the grave of the dreadful ghost "PHI PHRA KHANONG" (ผีพระโขนง). This ghost has frightened Thai people since almost a century.


Last century, during the reign of King Mongkut (1851-1868), when Bangkok was still called the "Venice of the Far East", a woman called "NAK" was married to a man called "MAK". They moved into a house in Bangkok's Phra Khanong district, near Wat Mahabut. After a while her husband was called off to war. Alas she was already pregnant.



While her husband was away, she died with the baby still inside her body. So as Thai people believe, a woman who died with her baby creates a powerful spirit called "PHI TAI HONG THONG KLOM" (ผีตายโหงทองกลม). She became a ghost. As she still loved her husband deeply, she took a form of human being and waited for "MAK" to return.
Her husband didn't know anything about his wife's death. So when he came back home, his wife was waiting for him. Many persons did warn him that his wife was dead and that he was living with a ghost but he did not believe them.


One day when "MAE NAK" was preparing the dinner and her husband bathing himself in the bathroom, a lemon fell from her hand. As the house was a Thai traditional house, it was built on piles and so the lemon fell on the ground 2 meters lower than the house's floor. So the ghost "MAE NAK" made her arm longer in order to get it.
But her husband saw that, he understood that his wife was now a ghost. He managed to flee from the house and took refuge inside Wat Mahabut. "MAE NAK" terrorised the local population as an expression of her anger with them for helping her husband.


Thanks to a monk, the spirit was imprisoned in an earthen pot and thrown in the river. The monk covered the bottle with a cloth. On this cloth was written Pali language in order to disable the spirit from going outside the bottle. But the legend is not over. Two fishermen trying to catch some fish got the bottle and freed "MAE NAK".
But the husband of "MAE NAK" was living with another woman. The ghost of "MAE NAK" managed to find them and killed her husband's new girlfriend. Finally "MAE NAK" accepted to stop killing because a monk promised her that in a next life she would live again with her husband. Nowadays Thai people still believe in the story of "MAE NAK PHRA KHANONG". Thai people don't like to speak about ghosts, they are afraid to meet them in their dreams while sleeping.

The spirit "MAE NAK" is said to love listening "Mon Rak Luuk Tung" songs.

Most of those coming to Wat Mahabut go with the intention of worshiping at the ghost shrine of "MAE NAK", asking her spirit to bless their lives with good fortune. They also make a stop at the "TON TAKIEN" (ต้นตะเคียน) shrine for a lucky lottery number.
The Thai expression is ขัดต้นไม้ขอหวย.
"MAE NAK" is the short name for "MAE NAK PHRA KHANONG". "MAE" (แม่) means mother but now many people are calling her "YA NAK". "YA" (ย่า) means grant mother. Indeed the story happened one century ago.

Many donations are made : toys, flowers, beautiful dresses, children clothes, food for her or her child. During all the day, a TV is on. "MAE NAK" likes the Thai movie "MON RAK LUUK THUNG" (มนต์รักลูกทุ่ง).
Thai mothers always warn their daughters to come home after school. If not "MAE NAK" might catch them ! The shrine, where "MAE NAK PHRA KHANONG" ashes remain, is located near Sukhumvit road, soi 77. This shrine is now famous. Due to the several Thai TV series and few movies, the shrine is overcrowded.

nside the shrine there is a statue of "MAE NAK" covered with gold leaves.
The Thai movie "NANG NAK" released in 1999 was one of the biggest success in Thai cinema. It is the story of "MAE NAK PHRA KHANONG". More than 20 Thai movies remakes about "MAE NAK" life have been produced so far. In year 2009 Mae Nak The Musical was even launched.

Each day the "MAE NAK" ghost shrine draws hundreds of worshippers who are looking to improve their fortunes at Wat Mahabut.


Nak was pregnant and very much in love when her husband was conscripted to fight in a war. During his absence, both Nak and her baby died in childbirth.

The husband returned from the war, however, to find both his wife and child waiting for him at home. Villagers were killed by Nak before they could warn the husband, and he later only found out when he saw her stretch out her bony arms to the floor to pick up a lime. He fled, hiding firstly in a plant that ghosts are afraid of, and secondly to the temple, where ghosts can’t enter.

Mae Nak was eventually exorcised twice; firstly into a jar, and secondly into the waistband of a monk. To this day, it’s said that the Thai royal family are the ones in possession of the waistband that contains her spirit.

Source for Mae Nak http://www.thaiworldview.com/bouddha/maenak.htm

Phra Luang Phor Tuad, the Miraculous Monk

Luang Pu (respected father, in Thai) Thuat was born in Songkhla province in Southern Thailand in 2125 BE (1582 CE). Luang Pu’s parents were poor farmers of Chinese descent. They called their son Puu (Por)– this means ‘crab’ in Thai. Both of his parents were devout Buddhists, and they were likely delighted when their son began to express an interest in spirituality at an early age.

One of the first signs that Puu was special, occurred when he was just 6 months old. His parents were working in the rice fields, and they left their baby lying on a blanket, under the shade of a tree. At noon his mother returned to find her son had a large reticulated python curled around him. At first she panicked, but then she noticed that her baby did not seem to be in any discomfort.

She then remembered a story from her childhood of how the gods can sometimes come to Earth in the form of a snake. Instead of trying to chase the snake away, which would have been too dangerous anyway, she found some flowers and put them in front of the reptile. The snake responded by moving away from Puu, but before leaving, he spit out a crystal ball that the mother then kept.

There is another legend involving the crystal ball that had been left behind for Luang Pu Thuat’s family by the snake. A rich man heard the story of how they had obtained this precious item, and he became envious. He forced the mother into selling it to him. The rich man initially felt delighted with his purchase, but then one by one his family became ill. He sought help from a spirit doctor who told him that the crystal ball would bring bad luck to anyone except Puu. The rich man knew he had no choice but to return it.

Luang Pu Thuat’s Ordination as a Monk
Luang Pu Thuat’s family ensured that he received substantial religious training as he grew up. From age 5, he began to attend lessons on dharma at his local temple. The monks there were amazed at how quickly and deeply he could absorb his lessons. Within a couple of years he had mastered all teachings that the local monks could offer him, and he started visiting temples far away from his home in order to receive additional training. It came as no real surprise that when he turned 12 years of age, he ordained as a monk. He spent his early years as a monk living at Wat Pakok in Songkhla province.

Even though traveling around Thailand in those days was difficult, it was common for monks to visit temples in other parts of the country. One of the most famous stories about Luang Pu Thuat involves a trip that he decided to make to Ayuthaya – this was then the capital of Thailand. He needed to make the first part of this trip by boat. His ship was sailing up the coast in the Gulf of Thailand when they got caught in a terrible storm.

The weather became so severe that the crew began to panic. The storm lasted for days and they ended up getting lost at sea with no fresh water to drink. For some reason they began to suspect that the cause of their misfortune was Luang Pu Thuat. They talked about throwing him overboard until the monk performed two miracles – he caused the sea to become calm and he turned the seawater around the boat into fresh drinking water. All thoughts of throwing him overboard were forgotten after this.

Ayuthaya was the center of Thai Buddhism back in those days, and Luang Pu Thuat had high hopes of what he could learn there. He arrived at one of the large monasteries in the city but was turned away because he looked so disheveled. Luang Pu was forced to search Ayuthaya for a temple that was willing to admit him, but eventually he found an old rundown monastery that offered him a place to stay.

Legend has it that at this time there was a sense of rivalry between Thai and Sri Lankan Buddhists. The King of Sri Lanka offered to give Thailand’s leaders boats full of gold if they were able to solve a certain Buddhist puzzle. All the senior monks in Ayuthaya failed in this task, but eventually it was solved by Luang Pu Thuat – this ensured his fame as a monk.

Final Years of Life of Phra Luang Pu Thuat
Luang Pu Thuat returned back to Songkhla as a famous monk – he also had His Majesty The King’s blessing to restore Pha Khoh temple which had fallen into ruin. He eventually became the abbot of Wat Changhai in Pattani. Luang Por became renowned for his psychic powers, and many miracles are attributed to him. He died when he was 120 years of age.

Phra Luang Pu Thuat Amulets
Even after Phra Luang Pu Thuat died, he continued to help his followers. Monks staying at Wat Changhai and elsewhere began to experience intense dreams where they would meet this spiritual teacher in other realms. They felt compelled to make amulets of him, and they found that these could bring good fortune and protection to the wearer.

Phra Luang Pu Thuat continues to be one of the most revered monks in Thailand. Any visitor to Thailand is sure to come across pictures, posters, drawings, and statues of him – he is usually depicted as an old man seated in meditation and hunched over – with brooding shoulders. His amulets frequently depict him in black, he was very dark, and the black also signifies an aura of mystery surrounding him. In Phang Nga on the road to Phuket, there is a very large statue of Luang Pu Thuat, Krabi has one, Ubon Ratchathani also has one.


Amulets of Phra Luang Pu Thuat are among the most popular in Thailand. They are also desirable objects for people in Malaysia and other parts of the world. We sell a lot of amulets with his image, we find them at the Buddhist temples near our home in Southern Thailand. You can hear many Thai stories from people who feel certain that wearing a Phra Luang Pu Tuad amulet has positively impacted their life. These days there are many versions of this amulet, and those that have a history of bringing good luck are the most expensive to buy.

source for this legend https://www.thaiamuletsales.com/buddhist-history/phra-luang-pu-thuat-monk/

Nai Khanom Tom: Father of Muay Thai

Muay Thai- Thai Boxing
Muay Thai is Thai Boxing, the National sport of Thailand but this celebration is not just about Muay Thai, it’s a commemorative day to honor and homage Nai Khanom Tom – The Father of Muay Thai and all the ancient teachers who developed Muay Boran into the contemporary Muay Thai, the art of the 8 limbs.

It is called also the “Science of Eight Limbs”, because it makes use of punches, kicks, elbows and knee strikes, thus using eight “points of contact”, as opposed to “two points” (fists) in boxing and “four points” (hands and feet) used in other more regulated combat sports, such as kickboxing and savate.

On the battlefield swords, shields, and conventional weapons aside, the systematic use of the body’s hardest points came to be known as classical Thai boxing or Muay Thai Boran, it employs the natural weapons of the human body in imitation of the ancient weapons of war. For example the arms are used like a sword, the shins are conditioned to strike like a staff, the elbow and knee are used like a war ax, the fist operates like the tip of a spear, the foot works like an arrow or pike, and the head hits like a war hammer. If a soldier lost his weapons on the battlefield, he would fight on using his body.

The Muay Thai manual “The most distinguished art of fighting” by Panya Kraitus paints an vivid picture of early Thai boxing techniques as used by the legendary warrior Phraya Phichai of the broken sword:

“He was the commander in chief of the army who led the common people in bravely resisting the enemy without giving thought to the possibility of his own death. For love of his country, he pushed fiercely forward in battle until his sword broke. Throwing it down he continued the fight with his fists, knees, and elbows. Because of his knowledge of Thai boxing, he came out of the battle alive and victorious.”

The sport’s history is shrouded in myth. It’s even possible that it wasn’t developed in Thailand—Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar (formerly Burma) each sometimes claims responsibility for its origins. What is certain is that the history of Muay Thai is closely and uniquely intertwined with the history of Thailand.

What is MUAY?
According to Muay Thai: A Living Legacy, by Kat Prayukvong and Lesley Junlakan, Thais first began training in Muay in the Sukhothai period (1238-1377)- a skill they would later use in multiple wars against the neighboring country of Burma. In temples, Buddhist monks taught young boys Muay as part of their daily education. At that time, the training included punching loincloths hanging on tree branches and kicking banana trees, says the Web site for the Muay Thai Institute in Bangkok.

As well as being a practical fighting technique for warfare, Muay Boran [Much like Kung Fu, this general term covers a spectrum of traditional and regional related fighting systems] became a sport in which the opponents fought in front of spectators who went to watch for entertainment. The tradition of boxing competitions is hundred of years old. It is told that in the 12th century C.E., in the period know as Sukhothai, and through the following Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin periods leading up to the reign of King Naresuan in 1560 C.E. and the early part of the 20th century, Muay Thai Boran prizefighting was already a favorite pastime of the Siamese people. These contests gradually became an integral part of local festivals and celebrations, especially those held at temples.


During these centuries fighters typically fought with bare knuckles. Sometimes they wrapped their hands in rope (muay kaad chueak), mostly to protect the knuckles against injuries.

“Muay” means “To bind into rounded form”- the act of binding a person’s hair into rounded form is “Muay Phom”. As Siamese boxers wrapped their hands with hemp rope and hold their fists into rounded shapes when striking, Siamese (Thai people) called this act as “Toi Muay”, “Toi Moi” or “Tee Muay” or simply “Muay”.

On Muaysangha.com I read, that some boxers a few hours before a contest, chew rice and water, spitting it in their hand wraps so when they dry they would become hard and sharp. [According to Ajarn Ket Sriyaphai, grand master of Muay Chaiya, boxers didn’t dip their hand wraps in glue and grounded glass…He said that those ideas came from Hollywood movies. After 1950 the ropes were abolished and the boxing gloves introduced by the State.]

There’s a record about Muay in “Du Royaume de Siam”, by the French envoy Simon De La Loubere, who visited Ayuttaya during the 1600s. He described the Siamese boxing as:

“boxers whom punched with fists and elbows with their hands wrapped with hemp rope which never to be seen in other neighboring kingdom.”

Every village had its local Muay champion. Oral history relates that young men of all walks of life sought out the Muay Thai Boran masters in hopes of training, fighting and gaining fame and recognition.

To become a Muay Boran student was not easy. Only those who went through at least one year of practicing footwork and stance to prove their patience and determination were considered true students. It was extremely important that a student had fully understood the Muay Thai footwork before moving on to further learning as it was believed that a practitioners expertise can be revealed by the way he can use his feet.

Muay boran was originally developed for self-defense and also taught to the Thai military for use in warfare, a martial art system which also had deadly techniques, grappling techniques and ground fighting techniques apart from its stand up techniques. Modern day Muay Thai is a stand up only ring sport.

The fighters were highly respected and the best were enlisted into the King’s royal guard. During the 1920s-30s King Rama VII modernized the Thai martial arts competitions, introducing referees, boxing gloves, rounds and western boxing rings.

Many of the traditional Muay Boran techniques were banned or were not practical with the addition of the new rules, and it went into decline.

Thai national identity and Muay Thai
“Muay Thai is a sport that is fiercely tied with Thailand’s national identity as the historical development of the sport has roots in the battlefields of south-east Asia, and is closely linked with nobility with endorsements by the King.”


Since the people of Thailand are proud of the fact that they are the citizens of the “country that was never colonized”, Muay Thai is known and revered in near mythological status and is often conveyed in their historical
narratives as a weapon used to battle the onslaught of other encroaching nations.

So is Nai Khanom Tom is immensely popular in Thailand. He is the subject of statues, medallions, amulets, plays, a TV miniseries, there are several blockbusters about the father of Muay Thai, he is also used to promote an energy drink as shown in this commercial.



LEGEND:
Nai Khanom Tom – The Father of Muay Thai
At the time of the fall of the ancient Thai capital of Ayuthya in 1767, when the city was destablized and heading for destruction because it rulers were weak, the invading Burmese troops rounded up a group of Thai residents and took them as prisoners. Among them were a large number of Thai boxers, who were held by the Burmese potentate Suki Phra Nai Kong of Kai Pho Sam Ton at the city of Ungwa.

In 1774, in the Burmese city of Rangoon, the Lord Mangra, king of the Burmese, decided to organize a seven-day, even-night celebration in honor of the pagoda where the Buddha’s relics are preserved. He ordered a royal presentation of a Thai boxing match between Thai and Burmese fighters. For the celebration, he also arranged for several folk-type spectacles such as the costume plays called likay, comedies and farces, and sword-fighting matches. The boxing ring was set up in front of the throne.

During the first day of the celebration, a high-ranking Burmese nobleman led a Thai boxer to pay his respects to the Burmese king. Lord Mangra then agreed to allow a Burmese boxer to pit his strength against that of the Thai boxer. A referee led the Thai boxer into the ring and introduced his as Nai Khanom Tom, a famous fighter from Ayuthya, a viewers saw a robust, dogged dark-skinned captive. Among the group of Burmese spectators was a group of Thai captives who view [sic] with each other in cheering him.

As soon as he matched with a fighter, Nai Khanom Tom began dancing around his opponent, which amazed and perplexed the Burmese spectators. The referee then announced that the dance was a Thai tradition (wai khruu) through which the boxer paid his respects to his mentor.

Then the signal for the match was given, Nai Khanom Tom rushed forward, elbowing and pummeling his opponent in the chest until the latter collapsed. The referee, however, judged that the knockout was not to be considered a victory for th eThai boxer, since his Burmese opponent had been distracted by the wai khruu dance, so Nai Khanom Tom had to confront nine other Burmese boxers. This decision prompted the other Thai boxers to vounteer to fight together with Nai Khanom Tom to avenge him.

Nai Khanom Tom agreed to fight against the other Burmese boxers to uphold the reputation of Thai boxing. His last opponent was in fact a boxing teacher from Ya Kai City who was on a visit to enjoy the festivities. Thus, he volunteered to fight, but was soon so mangled by Nai Khanom Tom’s kicks that no one dared to challenge him further.

However, Lord Mangra was so enthralled with Thai boxing that he summoned Nai Khanom Tom to reward him, asking which he would prefer, money or beauteous wives. Without hesitation, Nai Khanom Tom said he would take the wives, because money was easier to find. So Lord Mangra awarded him two Burmese girls from the Mon tribe.

Impressed by his abilities, King Mangra said:

“Every part of the Siamese is blessed with venom. Even with his bare hands, he can fell nine or ten opponents. But his Lord was incompetent and lost the country to the enemy. If he had been any good, there was no way the City of Ayutthaya would ever have fallen“.

Nai Khamon Tom took his lovely wives to Thailand, where he lived with them until the end of his life.

Thai people are known for believing in evil spirits and ghosts. For centuries Muay Thai fighters have used sacred tattoos, wards, amulets and spiritual ceremonies and other rituals to ensure their good fortune and ward off bad luck and evil entities that may follow them into the ring.

Mongkong and Pra Jiad
Some of them also wrap fragments of their ancestors bones in their Mongkong or Mongkol (headband) or Pra Jiad (armbands) tied around the bicep. This act represents the good spirits of their ancestors and protects them from injury and evil spirits in the ring. They originate back in times when Thailand was in a constant state of war, where young men would tear off pieces of a loved one’s clothing (often their mother’s sarong) and wear it to battle for good luck as well as to ward off harmful spirits. In modern times the Mongkol (lit. meaning holy spirit, luck, and protection) is worn as a tribute to the gym that the Muay Thai fighter is fighting out of.

The Yant
Some fighters will go to temples (Maa Doo), a witchdoctor/medicine man, or a high-ranking priest to have Thai inscriptions tattooed into their skin. These yants are believed to be powerful and provide protection from negative influences like bad luck, ghosts and spirits.

Other tattoos are told to grant strength, courage, long-life, or sexual prowess. Before a fight, fighters would rub special oils and herbal mixtures or potions on their skin to make them invulnerable and impervious to pain and injuries.

The Kreung Rang
Special Kreung Rang (amulets) worn around the neck were believed to wield distinctive magical powers. Some amulets contained written inscriptions with wards and protections rolled up in a small cylinder. Others came from important temples and bore images of Buddha or highly-revered monks. The form in which these blessings came was beside the point; they were all meant to give the fighter confidence in the ring.

Sprinkling dust on the head
The ritual of sprinkling water, dust or talcum powder among Thai boxers was done before jumping in the ropes. It was said to be a way of casting a spell known as hanuman crawls in the dust. This spell was said to soften up and make even the most aggressive adversary weak. Usually this ritual among the boxers was accompanied by a prayer about lord Budha, Dhamma and the monks, sangha. It was believed that the more dust the more effective.

However a more real and probable reason for this ritual is that in the past boxers would fight on bare ground and to better acclimatize to the terrain in which they were fighting they disguised it by reciting the spell and touching the ground in question. Grounds that where made of clay where harder for fluent with boxing and elbows, while in hard solid ground the boxers could flow more easily with rapid footwork but when fighting in sand the boxers had to be more cautious with every movement to avoid slipping.

Ritual Dance of Homage- Wai Kru
The ritual of the Ram Muay and the Wai Kru ceremony that the boxer performs in the ring before each match is part of a larger set designed to demonstrate respect and gratitude towards teachers- and today it is also seen as a tribute to the gods, the king, the country, and the family.The Wai Kru also serves to focus the fighters concentration and loosen muscles before fighting.

The music of Muay Thai is called “Sarama”and at many big stadiums in Thailand live bands play the music. The instruments used in the Sarama are the Kong-keeg (two face drum), pee java (Javanese flute), and the ching (cymbals). Music is important to the Wai Kru ritual and a tangible part of the fight itself.

The motions from the Wai Kru and Ram Muay are highly stylized and actions in the dances are symbolic of the Indian epic Ramayana. In general, there are two parts of the Ram Muay: the first part is from the ground and the second part is done standing up. This mirrors the way that ancient teachers taught students, first kneeling in the ground to learn the hands or weapons and make the legs and the patience strong. Only after, the different footwork patterns were learned. Before executing the Wai Khru Ram Muay ritual the fighter shall:

Think about your religion,
Thing about your parents,
Think about your teacher,
And think about one you loved who has passed away






Source for this : https://www.earthstoriez.com/muay-thai/

Phra Chao Sua

Phra Chao Sua was the King of Ayutthaya from 1703 to 1709 and the second ruler of the Ban Phlu Luang Dynasty. Suriyenthrathibodi was also known by the noble title he held before ascending the throne, Luang Sorasak (Thai: หลวงสรศักดิ์). He was the eldest son of the founder of the Ban Phlu Luang dynasty, Phetracha.:277

When King Narai was seriously ill with no hope of recovery, Phetracha arrested Constantine Phaulkon and the French officers. After questioning Mom Pi, he discovered Mom Pi had conspired with Phaulkon to assume the throne, and Mom Pi was executed. Further questioning of Phaulkon revealed a plot to raise a rebellion, and he too was executed. Narai, on his deathbed, was unable to do anything, except curse Phetracha and his son, Luang Sorasak. Luang Sorasak then had Narai's two brothers executed

Phaya Naga

Phaya Naga
The Phaya Naga are nāga, mythical serpent-like creatures, believed by locals to live in the Mekong river or estuaries. Common explanations of their sightings have been attributed to oarfish, elongated fish with red crests; however, these are exclusively marine and usually live at great depths. People in both Laos and Thailand attribute the naga fireballs phenomenon to these creatures.

The Sleeping Lady Mountain

The Sleeping Lady Mountain

Doi Nang Non (the sleeping lady mountain) is a satellite of Doi Luang Chiang Dao. It is not visited by tourists at all because the route is only known by locals. Not so long ago, in 2014, the mountain was still home of the last opium fields in Thailand. It is now over, and it's safer for trekkers and runners to go there. It is one of the best places to observe the high mountains of Thailand. The route goes through the valley of Nong Khatae up to the summit at 1700m high then goes down to the valley of Chiang Dao. It's impossible to go there without information from locals. The trails can be very wild. It is highly recommended to go with a tour agency such as Thailand Mountain Trail.

One of the legends goes that in ancient times a beautiful princess fell in love with a stable boy and became pregnant. Knowing their love was forbidden, they fled and went in the cave to rest. When the boy went in search of food, he was caught by the princess' father's army and killed. The distraught princess stabbed herself to death and the legend says her blood became the water that flows through the cave, while her body is the surrounding mountains, said to look like a sleeping woman


Source: http://www.outoftrack.com/outdoor-spot/the-sleeping-lady-mountain.html

The Rice Goddess

Even though the role of female deities be­came subservient since the introduction of male-dominated faiths such as Hinduism, Brahmanism and the official religion Buddhism, the power of the matriarchal spirit has al­ways played an important role in Thai­land. She is also known as Mae Khwan Khao, the ‘Mother of Rice Prosperity’.

Mae Phosop is considered the spirit or soul of rice, the main staple of the Thai diet. Thus, it is a common belief that without rice, a person cannot sus­tain and live long. The myth and legend of the rice goddess says she is badly mistreated by an old widow. Hence, she flees and finds shelter with a friend. This friend is a fish that leads the goddess into the deep forest where no human being can find and reach her.

As a consequence, all human be­ings begin to suffer from the absence of Phosop and try all that is humanly possible to find her. Finally, the fish advises the goddess to return to the humans because the next Lord Buddha will soon come to the world. Thus, the blessing of the rice goddess is needed since the Buddha will not be able to fulfil his duty on earth without Mae Phosop. Hence, she comes back to the community of mankind to stay forever. However, before her return, the goddess asks human beings to promise to treat her with respect forever after. In return she promises to bring abundant crops to mankind. Man keeps his word and so does Mae Phosop.

This story explains Thai fertility rites concerning the cultivation of rice. Thus, we may be justified in claiming that the relationship between humans and the ‘soul’ of rice is mutually de­pendent. Hence, there is also a saying that ‘The virtues of rice are 69, while the virtues of the Lord Buddha are only 59’. This proverb speaks for itself, and what is more, it also seems to point out the conflict between animistic beliefs and Buddhism. In addition, it reveals an intrinsic connection and relationship between mankind and what sustains its source of life.

When the spirit of the rice goddess is invocated, the person who performs the rite will address the spirit with sweet, kind and respectful words. The invoca­tion runs as follows: ‘Dear Spirit of Rice, Mother Phosi, Mother Phosop, Mother of the Nine Stars, Mother Chanthewi, Mother Si Dusada, come, please, come’

Mae Phosop is addressed by the title of mother (mae) who provides food for her children (mankind). Thus, people are her children and they treat her with respect as they would their natural mother. According to Thai tradition, children are also taught to wai – put their hands in the position of obeisance and respect – after finishing their meal.

Summing up, we may say that on the one hand, the myth of the rice goddess shows how animistic and Buddhist belief were combined in the past. On the other hand, it also reveals mankind’s dependency on a good rice harvest. Hence, people feel grateful to the rice goddess and behave respect­fully towards her.

Credits : https://www.thephuketnews.com/the-myth-of-mae-phosop-rice-goddess-of-thailand-71205.php
http://www.sirinyas-thailand.de/2015/10/06/the-myth-of-mae-phosop-the-rice-goddess-of-thailand/

Krahang

Krahang is a male ghost version of Krause, who too spends his days in the guise of an ordinary villager but transforms at night. Shirtless and covered below the waist by a loincloth, Krahang takes to the skies with the aid of rice baskets acting as wings, and has been blamed for attacks on women in local villages.

He’s basically a normal guy with a powerful addiction to black magic. But when such a warlock loses control of his power, he gains the very specific superpower of being able to fly using rice baskets as wings.


PEE KRAHANG
STORY
Pee Krahang are said to be the result of a man who once practised sorcery but it backfired on him, turning him into an arguably scary ghost. Like pee krasue, they live as a normal person during the day and transform into a ghost at night.

APPEARANCE
Pee Krahang are often portrayed as shirtless men wearing a loin cloth. They wear a big circular basket meant for winnowing rice as wings on each arm. Pee Krahang do sound a little bit like drunken farmers trying to fly with any tools they can get their hands on. However, this also makes them the easiest ghost to pull off as a Halloween costume. If you’re a man with a decent body, go to a party as a pee krahang.

ABILITY
Sure they can fly and that’s pretty awesome. However, unless they resemble Ananda Everingham, they probably don’t look cool while flapping those baskets and sweating profusely in order to take off. The ghosts also like to eat dirty stuff at night.

FRIEND POTENTIAL
Pee Krahang aren’t known for being outrightly vicious. If you can befriend one, he’ll probably agree to take you on a free flight. You should give him some deodorant if you don’t want to smell his armpits. Toothpaste and mouthwash are also recommended gifts for him.

THREAT LEVEL
Pee Krahang may harm people walking in remote or secluded areas at night. However, would you really be scared of a man whose only weapons appear to be flat baskets?

CULTURAL IMPACT
As far as we know, there have been two lakorn and two films based on this ghost. A kind-hearted krahang appears in the Nak animated movie

Credits : https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-news/377582/thai-ghosts-welcome-to-our-world

Sathorn Unique Tower

Here's a video about the True history of the tower