Mae Nak Phra Khanong Explained

Mae Nak Phra Khanong
Aka:Mae Nak, Nang Nak
Folklore:Thai folk mythology
Grouping:Legendary creature
Tutelary deity
Sub Grouping:Undead
Country:Thailand
Region:Phra Khanong area, Bangkok

Mae Nak Phra Khanong (Thai: แม่นากพระโขนง,[1] meaning 'Lady Nak of Phra Khanong'), or simply Mae Nak (Thai: แม่นาก, 'Lady Nak') or Nang Nak (Thai: นางนาก, 'Miss Nak'), is a well-known Thai ghost. According to local folklore the story is based on events that took place during the reign of King Rama IV.[2]

A shrine dedicated to Nak was constructed at Wat Mahabut. In 1997, the shrine was relocated to the nearby Suan Luang district of modern Bangkok.

Common legend

A beautiful young woman named Nak, who lived on the banks of the Phra Khanong canal, had an undying love for her husband, Mak.

While Nak was pregnant, Mak was conscripted into the Thai Army and sent to war where he was seriously wounded (in some versions it is the Kengtung Wars, while others are not specific). While he was being nursed back to health in central Bangkok, Nak and their child both died during childbirth. But when Mak returned home, he found his loving wife and child waiting for him. Neighbors warned him that he was living with a ghost but he rebuffed them.

One day, as Nak was preparing nam phrik, she dropped a lime off the porch. In her haste to retrieve it, she stretched her arm to an impossible length to pick it up from the ground below. Upon seeing this, Mak realized his wife was a ghost. That night, Mak sneaked out the house and fled with Nak in pursuit. According to Thai folklore, ghosts are afraid of sticky Blumea leaves so Mak hid behind a Blumea balsamifera (Thai: หนาด; pronounced nat) bush.[3] He then ran into Wat Mahabut temple, which as holy ground, a ghost cannot enter.

In her grief, Nak terrorized the people of Phra Khanong, furious at them for causing Mak to leave her. However, a powerful monk captured Nak's ghost; and after confining her in an earthen jar, threw it into the Phra Khanong canal.

There are regional variations to the rest of the story. In one, an old couple new to Phra Khanong find the jar while fishing; in another two fishermen dredge up the jar. In both cases, Nak is freed when the jar is opened.

In alternative versions, a venerable monk named Somdet Phra Phutthachan (To Phrommarangsi) defeats Nak by confining her spirit in the bone of her forehead and binds it to his waistband. Legend says the waistband is currently in the possession of the Thai royal family. Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse, Prince of Chumphon, also claimed to have had the relic.[4] In another, the monk assured Nak that in a future life she would be reunited with her beloved husband, so she voluntarily departed for the afterlife.

Research

Anek Nawikamul, a Thai historian, researched the story and found an article in the Siam Praphet newspaper written by K.S.R. Kulap, dated March 10, 1899. Kulap claimed the story of Mae Nak was based on the life of Amdaeng Nak (อำแดงนาก, 'Mrs Nak'), daughter of a Tambon Phra Khanong leader named Khun Si. Amdaeng Nak died while she was pregnant. Her son, worried that his father might remarry and his inheritance shared with his step-mother, invented the ghost story. He dressed in women's clothing and threw rocks at passing boats to make people think it was Nak's ghost. Kulap also suggested that Nak's husband was named Chum, not Mak.[5] [6]

Mae Nak Shrine

The shrine of Mae Nak stands next to Klong Phra Khanong, at Wat Mahabut, a large temple on Soi 77 off Sukhumvit Road (On Nut Road). The shrine is a low building under large trees with a roof that encompasses the tree trunks. The main shrine has several minor shrines around it.[7]

A statue of Mae Nak and her infant form the centerpiece of the shrine. Devotees often make offerings, accompanied by a request for help, generally by women seeking easy childbirth or for their husband to be exempted from military conscription. Offerings are usually lengths of colored cloth, wrapped around the trunk of the Bo tree. Other offerings include fruit, lotuses, and incense sticks.

Toys for her child and portraits of the ghost are displayed in the shrine's inner sanctum. A collection of fine dresses offered to her are displayed behind her statue.

Offerings are also made at Phra Khanong Canal, where fish purchased live at markets are brought in buckets to the edge of the canal and freed. Stalls at the shrine sell toys, fish, lotus buds, incense sticks, and garlands for those who wish to make an offering.[7] [8] [9] [10]

In popular culture

Mae Nak's story has enjoyed sustained popularity because her undying devotion to her husband inspires people of all ages. Prince Damrong, a son of King Mongkut, revealed that when he was a child, he kept asking Wat Phra Kaeo visitors who was the most popular person in their opinion, and most people answered "Mae Nak".[11]

The story of Mae Nak Phra Khanong is also the subject of many films, television series, and printed media.[12] Among these are:

Representations of Mae Nak, sometimes humorous,[34] [35] are very common in Thai comic books.[36] and animated cartoons.[37]

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: th:ย้อนรอยปริศนาแม่นาคพระโขนง/ต่อพงษ์. http://manager.co.th/Entertainment/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9550000041477. Manager Online. 2015-11-20. Thai.
  2. News: Yongcharoenchai. Chaiyot. As cultures come together, it's all in bad spirits. 19 January 2016. Bangkok Post. 2016-01-16.
  3. http://thrai.sci.ku.ac.th/node/1049 หนาด (Blumea balsamifera (L.) DC.)
  4. เจนจบ ยิ่งสุมล. (ตุลาคม 2553). ๑๓๐ ปี ไม่มีวันตาย พลเรือเอกพระบรมวงศ์เธอ กรมหลวงชุมพรเขตอุดมศักดิ์. สำนักพิมพ์ DK พับลิชิ่ง. . หน้า 45
  5. Web site: The Legend of Mae Nak Prakanong. Sarakadee. 19 January 2016.
  6. News: Thairath. กิเลน. ประลองเชิง. http://www.thairath.co.th/content/115908. th:ปลุกผีแม่นาค. 2010-10-04. 2017-05-28. Thai.
  7. News: http://www.manager.co.th/travel/viewnews.aspx?NewsID=9580000121184. Manager Online. หนุ่มลูกทุ่ง. 2015-10-30. th:เที่ยวฮาโลวีนแบบไทยๆ ไปไหว้ขอพร “ย่านาค” วัดมหาบุศย์. Thai. 2018-03-24.
  8. Web site: Thairath. 2016-02-14. 2018-03-24. ปาฏิหาริย์แห่งรัก. "แม่นาคพระโขนง" 14 กุมภาฯ "วันวาเลนไทน์" . รัก-ยม.
  9. Web site: https://www.dek-d.com/board/view/2602542/. dek-d.com. 2018-03-24. ตำนานแม่นาคพระโขนง . 2012-10-13. No. 2602542. th:ผีแม่นาคพระโขนง กับการขอให้รอดจากการเกณฑ์ทหาร หลายคนบอกเลยว่าผีแม่นาคช่วยได้จนเป็นที่เล่าลือกันว่าถ้าไม่อยากเป็นทหารต้องไปขอกับผีแม่นาคพระโขนง. thai.
  10. Web site: Pantip.com. 2010-05-13. 2018-03-24. th:ถามทางไปวัดแม่นาคหน่อยครับ. http://topicstock.pantip.com/siam/topicstock/2007/05/F5405575/F5405575.html. hookman13. Thai.
  11. Web site: Pho Mak Thahan Ken? . th:พ่อมากทหารเกณฑ์ . Mister Mak Was a Recruit? . th . 2016-04-20 . 2016-04-20 . Bangkok . Matichon .
  12. http://topicstock.pantip.com/chalermthai/topicstock/2011/06/A10698155/A10698155.html Mae Nak movies and TV series
  13. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x-MnEmRzfkY/UBFHP01jj9I/AAAAAAAABVk/7P60aTm0Uko/s1600/Mae+Nak+Phra+Khanong+(Thailand,+1959).jpg Mae Nak Phra Khanong (1959) poster
  14. http://topicstock.pantip.com/chalermthai/topicstock/2011/06/A10698155/A10698155-3.jpg Mae Nak Kheun Chip movie poster
  15. http://www.thaifilm.com/imgUpload/reply772171_0.jpg Vinyan Rak Mae Nak Phra Khanong movie poster
  16. http://topicstock.pantip.com/chalermthai/topicstock/2011/06/A10698155/A10698155-5.jpg Mae Nak Khanong Rak movie poster
  17. http://topicstock.pantip.com/chalermthai/topicstock/2011/06/A10698155/A10698155-6.jpg Mae Nak Phra Nakhon poster
  18. http://topicstock.pantip.com/chalermthai/topicstock/2011/06/A10698155/A10698155-7.jpg Mae Nak Phra Khanong (1973) poster
  19. http://www.thaifilm.com/imgUpload/reply769341_0.jpg Mae Nak Alawat poster
  20. http://tonpalm.tarad.com/img-lib/spd_20110412200335_b.jpg Mae Nak Amerika 1975 poster
  21. http://topicstock.pantip.com/chalermthai/topicstock/2011/06/A10698155/A10698155-10.jpg Mae Nak Buk To Kiao movie poster
  22. http://topicstock.pantip.com/chalermthai/topicstock/2011/06/A10698155/A10698155-11.jpg Mae Nak Phra Khanong (1978) poster
  23. http://www.thaifilm.com/imgUpload/reply774371_0.jpg Sannya Chai Mae Nak Phra Khanong (1992) poster
  24. http://topicstock.pantip.com/chalermthai/topicstock/2011/06/A10698155/A10698155-16.jpg Mae Nak Cheu Phi Pop poster
  25. http://www.thaiworldview.com/tv/act.php?myChoice=199&mySearch=8 1990s decade
  26. News: Rithdee . Kong . Nam Nak at 20 . 26 July 2019 . Bangkok Post . 26 July 2019.
  27. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OSZ5Jl-f0YM/RuYHbhDV79I/AAAAAAAAB5w/JitrcX0Q-1g/s320/MaeNakPosterESTE.jpg Ghost of Mae Nak - Movie poster
  28. http://thailand-uk.com/forums/showthread.php?5329-Nak-%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%84 Nak movie
  29. http://www.bangkokpost.com/070308_Realtime/07Mar2008_real001.php BangkokPost.com
  30. http://www.rachadalai.com/maenak/ Rachadalai.com
  31. http://122.155.18.50/~pungdvdc/movie/cover/2678.jpg Maenak Patha Pop Sam Tua
  32. http://movie.sanook.com/33894/%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%87-%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%82%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%87/ พี่มากพระโขนง
  33. https://letterboxd.com/film/make-me-shudder-2-shudder-me-mae-nak/ Make Me Shudder 2: Shudder Me Mae Nak
  34. Web site: Mae Nak comic . 2012-09-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121105172254/http://kuk-kuk-koo.exteen.com/20091123/entry . 2012-11-05 . dead .
  35. http://www.itemstudio.org/forum/attachments/month_0909/09091019216b1c4abe31ae3bce.jpg Mae Nak comic image
  36. http://www.uppic.org/image-9280_4F2D066A.jpg Mae Nak comic
  37. http://tonpalm.tarad.com/shop/t/tonpalm/img-lib/spd_20110118181810_b.jpg Nang Nak Kab 3 Puan

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