The Brothers Paranormal draws upon a rich and deep folkore about ghosts that developed in Thailand. Here’s something that was developed by teachers for our community partner, the Southeast Asia Center in the Henry M. Jackson School for International Studies at the University of Washington.
Culture: Thai Ghost Stories
Boo!!!! Halloween is right around the corner. Even though Thai people don’t really have a tradition to celebrate this day like Americans do, getting to know about Thai traditional ghosts seems like fun, doesn’t it? In this reading, the 8 traditional Thai ghosts known by every Thai are introduced to you.
The Thai term ‘ผี’ is pronounced as phǐi. Sometimes, we put the word ‘phǐi’ in front of the ghosts’ names such as, Phǐi Kra Sue, Phǐi Prèet, etc. Here are the stories of the 8 well-known traditional Thai ghosts.
- Kra Sue กระสือ
Kra Sue is a female spirit, known as a filth-eating ghost. It was said that Kra Sue was cursed to be hungry and active at night. Usually, Kra Sue is a beautiful and attractive lady who lives a normal life during the day. But at night, she takes off her head and the internal organs from her body and floats around to prey on blood and raw flesh. Feces and carrion can be substituted to ease her gluttony when flesh is not available. It is believed that Kra Sue lives in the same area as Kra Hang.
- Porb or Phǐi Porp ปอบ หรือ ผีปอบ
Phǐi Porp is a cannibalistic spirit dwelling in a human’s body to devour their intestines. The old tale says that Phǐi Porp was originally a witch or a dark sorcerer who went mad from uncontrollable power. When Phǐi Porp successfully possesses its prey, the prey’s intestines will be eaten during his/her sleep. Phǐi Porp moves from one body to another to eat the person’s internal organs. As a Phǐi Porp is dying, it will find a way to inherit another person’s body.
- Kra Hang กระหัง
This male spirit is like a combination of Kra Sue and Porb. It is believed that this shirtless guy is someone who practices black magic and has gone mad from its malpractice and uncontrollable power. At night, Kra Hang uses round rice baskets as wings to help him leap around, harming people who are wandering alone at night, and eating feces and carrion.
- Praay พราย
Praay is like a Thai version of a Siren (from Greek mythology). Praay live by waters in which many victims have drowned and always wears traditional white Thai attire. The spirit lures people to her residence, kills them, and then possesses their dead body.
- Lady Nak of Phra Kha Nongแม่นากพระโขนง
Also known as Mae Nak Phra Kha Nong, Lady Nak is the most well-known Thai ghost among those female ghosts who have died along with their fetus during childbirth. From the old tale, Lady Nak was pregnant and left alone while her husband enlisted to join the army. After he came back home, the fact that she died was concealed from him. No one was ever allowed to tell the truth. Any passer-by would see her taking care of her child and singing a lullaby at night. They would be haunted if they trespassed into her house. Finally, her husband learned the truth. Mae Nak was confined in a pot and thrown into a river. Later, she was released accidentally and went on a rampage in the village. Finally, her body was dug up and a Buddhist monk, called Somdej Toh, chanted and used his spell to lead her soul to rest in peace. This love-after-death is told by all Thais, and the belief in her unconditional love for her child lives through the ages.
- Lady Tanii นางตานี
Phǐi Tanii or Nang Tanii (Nymph of Tanii) is a female spirit who lives in a wild banana tree (Klûuay Tanii in Thai). She is always invisible and only reveals herself during the full moon. She has a greenish complexion and wears green Thai traditional costumes. She is a gentle spirit and sometimes offers food to monks who are passing by. Nang Tanii will harm mostly men who have harmed women. Her tree can be found in a rural area of a village. It is said that villagers must not move or cut down her tree. Her tree looks like any other wild banana tree, but the fruit from her tree is not edible.
- Prèet เปรต
Known as a hungry ghost, Prèet is a supernatural spirit of those poor souls who have to suffer from their karma after death. Those who turn into Prèet are usually the really bad ones, especially those who hurt their own parents physically and mentally. Prèet is a super skinny giant, always suffering from thirst and insatiable hunger. Its hands are abnormally huge and the mouth is as tiny as the eye of a needle. Prèet often appears near temple fairs to beg for merit, so it can go to a better place.
- Nang Ta-khian นางตะเคียน
Nang Takhian belongs to a type of spirit or fairy related to trees and known generically in Thai folklore as Nang Maay (นางไม้“Lady of the Tree”). Legends in the Thai oral tradition say the spirit inhabits a Ta-khian tree and sometimes appears as a beautiful young woman wearing traditional Thai attire, usually in reddish or brownish colors, contrasting with Nang Tanii who are mostly represented in a green dress.
References
Kate. 2015. Halloween is coming! Meet 7 traditional Thai Ghosts every Thai knows. Retrieved on October 22, 2018, from https://blog.takemetour.com/halloween-is-coming-meet-7-traditional-thai-ghosts-every-thai-knows/
Wikipedia. 2018. Nang Ta-khian. Retrieved on October 22, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nang_Ta-khian