Nang Tani
Nang Tani female ghost
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| Grouping |
Legendary creature Tutelary deity |
|---|---|
| Sub grouping | Nocturnal, undead |
| Similar creatures | Nang Ta-khian |
| Mythology | Southeast Asian folk mythology |
| Other name(s) | Phi Tani, Tani |
| Country | Thailand, Laos, Cambodia |
| Region | Southeast Asia |
| Habitat | Banana tree clumps |
Nang Tani (Thai: นางตานี; "Lady of Tani") is a female spirit of the Thai folklore. According to folk tradition this ghost appears as a young woman that haunts wild banana trees (Musa balbisiana), known as in Thai language as Kluai Tani (กล้วยตานี).
Nang Tani belongs to a type of female ghosts or fairies related to trees known generically as Nang Mai (นางไม้; "Lady of the Wood") in the Thai lore. There is a similar spirit in the Cambodian folklore, as well as in the Lao popular tradition.
Nang Tani may also be called Phi Tani (ผีตานี; "Ghost of Tani") or Phrai Tani (พรายตานี; "Nymph of Tani").
This ghost inhabits the clumps of wild banana trees and is popularly represented as a beautiful young woman wearing a green traditional Thai costume. Most of the time Phi Tani remains hidden, but she comes out of the tree and becomes visible especially on full moon nights. She has a greenish complexion, blending with the tree, but her lips have the red color of the ripe ivy gourd. Her hair is black, abundant and untied. She generally appears in a standing position and her feet don't touch the ground, but hover slightly above it. In some modern representations the lower part of her body is represented with an immaterial quality, her waist cloth ending in a kind of wisp emanating from the tree trunk.
It is considered a bad omen to cut trees from the clump Tani inhabits. Offerings are made to her in the form of sweets, incense sticks and flowers. Often people also tie a length of colored satin cloth around the trunk of the banana tree believed to be haunted by her. The Kluai Tani type of banana trees do not belong to the cultivated varieties. Owing to their connection with ghosts, people prefer not to have them growing near their homes and they are not found within village compounds. However, clumps of this tree are found not far from inhabited areas, often at the outskirts of villages or at the edge of cultivated fields by the roadside. They look very much like average banana trees, but their fruits are not edible. Their leaves are commonly used in Thailand to wrap locally produced sweets and the inflorescence for the treatment of ulcers in traditional medicine.
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