Phaya Naga
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| Grouping | Mythology |
|---|---|
| Sub grouping | |
| Similar creatures | Dragon, Pakhangba |
| Mythology | Laos, Thailand and Cambodia |
| Habitat | Rivers, sacred ponds, lakes, caves. |
The Phaya Naga (Thai: พญานาค; rtgs: phaya nak; literally: lord of nāga) 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.
Thai and Lao folklore holds the Phaya Naga to be semi-divine, demi-creatures, which possess supernatural powers as has been described in Buddhist and Hindu cosmology. The "Khamchanod Forest" (ป่าคำชะโนด; rtgs: pha khamchanod) Ban Dung District, Udon Thani province, which is held in high reverence and fear across Thailand, is believed to be the border between the human world and the netherworld, and is frequently depicted in Thai folklore as the site of many hauntings, but more frequently is considered to be the home of the Naga.
In Shan folklore of Nanzhao Kingdom (now southern China and Southeast Asia during the 8th and 9th centuries, which was centered on present-day Yunnan in China.) believed Erhai lake is inhabited of Naga and is the creator of the Mekong.
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