Mae Naak
Encyclopedia
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
. Local folklore claims that this story is based on actual events that took place during the 19th century.
The story
According to tradition, the events happened during the reign of King MongkutMongkut
Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramenthramaha Mongkut Phra Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama IV, known in foreign countries as King Mongkut , was the fourth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1851-1868...
. The story is about a beautiful young woman named Nak, who lived by the Phra Khanong
Phra Khanong
Phra Khanong is one of the 50 districts of Bangkok, Thailand. Its neighbor, clockwise from north, are Suan Luang, Prawet, and Bang Na districts of Bangkok, Amphoe Phra Pradaeng of Samut Prakan Province , Khlong Toei and Watthana of Bangkok.-History:Phra Khanong was an amphoe of Nakhon Khuan Khan...
canal in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, and her husband, Mak.
With Nak pregnant, Mak is called off to war (in some versions of the story the war is against the Shan tribe, while others are not specific), and is severely injured. While he is being nursed in central Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, both Nak and the child she is carrying die during childbirth. When Mak eventually returns home, however, he is cast under a spell and finds his loving wife and his new child waiting for him and nothing wrong. Neighbors, who try to tell Mak of the death of his wife and to warn him that he is living with ghost, meet with grisly ends.
One day, while Nak is preparing nam phrik
Nam phrik
Nam phrik , generally pronounced "Nam phik", is a generic term that may refer to any of the types of more or less thick spicy, often chili based, hot sauces typical of Thai cuisine. The main ingredients of Nam phrik are fresh or dry chilies, garlic, shallots, fish sauce, lime juice and/or some kind...
, she drops a lime
Lime (fruit)
Lime is a term referring to a number of different citrus fruits, both species and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing sour and acidic pulp. Limes are a good source of vitamin C. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and...
down to the cellar. In her haste, she extends her arm to pick the lemon from the upper floor through the floor's hole, not knowing that Mak saw the whole event. Terrified, he realizes she is a ghost, and tries to find a way to flee without her becoming aware.
At night, Mak lies to Nak by saying that he wants to get out to the lower floor of the house to urinate. He then breaks a little hole in an earthen jar which is filled with water, so that Nak will think that he is urinating, and runs away into the night.
After discovering her husband's leaving, Nak pursues him. Mak sees his wife's ghost and conceals himself behind a Blumea balsamifera
Blumea balsamifera
Blumea balsamifera is a flowering plant belonging to the Blumea genus, Asteraceae family.-Description:Blumea balsamifera is used as an herbal treatment for the common cold and as a diuretic in Philippines medicine, where is it most commonly known as sambong...
(Nat; หนาด) bush. According to Thai folklore, ghosts are afraid of the sticky Blumea leaves. Mak then runs from there to the temple of Wat Mahabut, where Nak cannot enter the holy area.
In grief and despair Nak terrorizes the people of Phra Khanong, venting her anger towards them for helping Mak to leave her.
Eventually, Nak's ghost is bound by a powerful exorcist. After confining her within an earthen jar, he throws it into the canal.
There are several versions of the story at this point. In one, an old couple who are new residents to Phra Khanong find the pot containing Nak's ghost while fishing, while in another it is two fishermen of unknown age and origin who dredge up the pot. Nak is then unwittingly freed by the people who found the jar.
Following her release, Nak is suppressed again, in a more thorough manner, by the venerable monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
, Somdet Phra Phutthachan (To Phrommarangsi). Again there are several versions of the story at this point. In one of them, the monk confines her within the bone of her corpse's forehead, and binds that piece of her skull within his waistband; legend tells that this waistband has passed through the hands of various persons and is currently in the possession of the royal family. In another version the monk foretells that in a future life Nak will be reunited with her husband, and so the ghost voluntarily leaves this world for the afterlife.
Mae Nak's story is popular because her true love and devotion for Mak inspires many people.
There is a shrine dedicated to Mae Nak at Wat Mahabut. In 1997 the shrine relocated to nearby Suan Luang district.
Historical Accounts
Anek Nawikamul, a Thai historian, did a research on this story, and found a newspaper article from Siam Praphet written by K.S.R. Kularb dated March 10, 1899. The article claimed that the story of Mae Nak was based on a story of Amdaeng Nak (อำแดงนาก, "Miss Nak"), the daughter of TambonTambon
Tambon is a local government unit in Thailand. Below district and province , they form the third administrative subdivision level. As of the 2009 there are 7255 tambon, not including the 169 khwaeng of Bangkok, which are set at the same administrative level, thus every district contains 8-10 tambon...
Phra Khanong leader named Khun Si. Nak died when she was pregnant. Her children worried that their father (Nak's husband) will remarry and their inheritance will be shared with their step-mother, so they made up the ghost story and threw rocks to passing boats, etc. to make people believe that Nak's ghost was there. The article also suggested that Nak's husband was not named "Mak," but rather "Chum."
The Shrine of Mae Nak
The shrine of Mae Nak is located by the Phra Khanong canal, at Wat Mahabut, a large temple down a small soiSoi
Soi is the term used in Thailand for a side-street branching off a major street . An alley is called a Trok .Sois are usually numbered, and are referred to by the name of the major street and the number, as in "Soi Sukhumvit 4", "Sukhumvit Soi 4", or "Sukhumvit 4", all referring to the fourth soi...
(side road) off Sukhumvit
Sukhumvit Road
Sukhumvit Road , or Thailand Route 3 , is a major road in Thailand, and a major surface road of Bangkok and other cities it winds through. It follows a coastal route from Bangkok to Trat and is just over in length....
soi 77, also known as On nut Road.
The easiest way to get there is to take the Sukhumvit line of the BTS Skytrain to On Nut
On Nut Station
On Nut station is a BTS skytrain station, on the in Watthana and Khlong Toei District, Bangkok, Thailand. The station is located on Sukhumvit Road to the south of Soi On Nut junction ....
, then backtrack a short way until reaching On nut Road, intersecting with Sukhumvit on the north side of the road.
About 1 km down On nut road, on the left, there is a small lane signposted as soi 7. Wat Mahabut and the Mae Nak shrine are at the end of the lane, with the shrine at the far side of the larger temple compound near the canal known as Klong Phra Khanong. It is also possible to reach the temple by boat via the canal.
The shrine consists of a low building under large trees with a roofing that encompasses the tree trunks. The main shrine has a number of minor shrines surrounding it. There is a wide fenced area around the shrine with a gate towards the Wat Mahabut temple compound and another more elaborate roofed gate facing the canal.
Offerings
In addition to adorning the statue of Mae Nak and her baby, which forms the centerpiece of the shrine, with gold leaf, the faithful also make offerings.Usual offerings are lengths of colored cloth that are wrapped around the trunk of the Bo tree inside the shrine compound. Other offerings are fruits, lotuses
Nelumbo nucifera
Nelumbo nucifera, known by a number of names including Indian Lotus, Sacred Lotus, Bean of India, or simply Lotus, is a plant in the monogeneric family Nelumbonaceae...
and incense sticks left in different locations.
Among the most characteristic offerings are clothing, toys for her child and portraits of her ghost that are displayed in the shrine's inner sanctum. A collection of fine dresses offered to Mae Nak are displayed behind her statue
Offerings are also made outside at the Phra Khanong canal itself by the shrine, where living fishes are brought in buckets to the edge of the canal and released. There are stalls at the shrine selling toys, living fishes, lotus buds, incense sticks and garlands for people who wish to make an offering.
In popular culture
The story of Mae Nak Pra Kanong has been the subject of numerous films, television series and printed media in Thailand. Among the works are:- Mae Nak Phra Khanong, a 1958 Thai film
- Nang NakNang NakNang Nak is a romantic tragedy and horror film directed by Nonzee Nimibutr in 1999 through Buddy Film and Video Production Co. in Thailand, based on a legend. It features the life of a devoted ghost wife and the unsuspecting husband.-Plot:...
, a 1999 film by Thai director Nonzee NimibutrNonzee NimibutrNonzee Nimibutr is a Thai film director, film producer and screenwriter. Best known for his ghost thriller, Nang Nak, he is generally credited as the leader among a "New Wave" of Thai filmmakers that also includes Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, Wisit Sasanatieng and Apichatpong... - Ghost of Mae NakGhost of Mae NakGhost of Mae Nak is a 2005 Thai horror film thriller about a protecting ghost directed and written by British director Mark Duffield. The film stars Pataratida Pacharawirapong, Siwat Chotchaicharin and Porntip Papanai as the ghost.-Synopsis:...
, a 2005 Thai film by British director Mark Duffield - Nak, a Thai animated feature film, released on April 3, 2008.
- Mae NaakMae Naak (opera)Mae Naak is a 2003 opera composed by Thai composer Somtow Sucharitkul to an English libretto based on one of Thailand's best known ghost stories Mae Nak Phra Khanong...
, an opera composed by Somtow SucharitkulS. P. SomtowS. P. Somtow is a Thai-American musical composer. He is also a science fiction, fantasy, and horror author writing in English...
. It was premiered in 2003 and revived in 2005 by the Bangkok OperaBangkok OperaThe Bangkok Opera is an opera company founded in 2001 as a production company to mount Madana, the first full-length grand opera by a Thai composer...
, with soprano Nancy YuenNancy YuenNancy Yuen is a Chinese operatic soprano.-Life and career:Nancy Yuen Miu Fun was born in Hong Kong, reportedly in 1967. She is a top graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, London, and has based her career in the United Kingdom and Singapore. She has made Cio-cio-san her signature role, winning...
performing the title role in both productions. - Maenak Prakanong the Musical, a 2009 musicalMusical theatreMusical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
directed by Takonkiet Viravan and starring Myria BenedettiMyria BenedettiMyria Alexandra Benedetti is a Thai singer, actress, model, and MC.-Profile:Myria Alexandra Benedetti, nicknamed Nat, is the only child of her Swiss father of Italian descent and Thai mother. Although she started out as an actress at an early age and still acts in many Thai dramas, movies, and...
and Anatpol Sirichumsang.