Mae Nak Phra Khanong
 Mae Nak shrine offerings in the inner sanctum:
Portraits of the spirit and folded dresses. |
|
| Grouping |
Legendary creature Tutelary deity |
|---|---|
| Sub grouping | Undead |
| Mythology | Thai folk mythology |
| Other name(s) | Mae Nak, Nang Nak |
| Country | Thailand |
| Region | Southeast Asia |
| Habitat | Phra Khanong area, Bangkok |
Mae Nak Phra Khanong (Thai: แม่นากพระโขนง, 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 female ghost. According to local folklore the story is based on events that took place during the reign of King Rama IV.
The story is about a beautiful young woman named Nak, who lived on the banks of the Phra Khanong Canal, and her undying love for her husband, Mak.
With Nak pregnant, Mak is conscripted and sent to war (in some versions of the story the war is against the Shan tribe, while others are not specific), where he is seriously wounded. While he is being nursed back to health in central Bangkok, Nak and their child both die during a difficult childbirth. When Mak returns home, however, he finds his loving wife and child waiting for him. Neighbors who try to warn him that he is living with a ghost are all killed.
One day, as Nak is preparing nam phrik, she drops a lime off the porch. In her haste to retrieve it, she stretches her arm to pick it up from the ground below. Mak sees it and at last realizes his wife is a ghost. Terrified, he tries to find a way to flee without alarming her.
That night, Mak says he has to go downstairs to urinate. He then runs away into the night.
Discovering her husband has fled, Nak pursues him. Mak sees her and conceals himself behind a Blumea balsamifera (Thai: หนาด; pronounced Nat) bush. According to folklore, ghosts are afraid of the sticky Blumea leaves. Mak then runs to Wat Mahabut temple, which a ghost cannot enter, as it is holy ground.
In her grief, Nak terrorizes the people of Phra Khanong, furious at them for causing Mak to leave her. However, Nak's ghost is captured by a powerful exorcist. Confining her in an earthen jar, he throws it into the canal.
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Wikipedia