Mae Nak Phra Khanong

Overview

Mae Nak Phra Khanong ('Lady Nak of Phra Khanong') is the most popular ghost of Thai folklore: a young woman of the Phra Khanong canal who died with her child in childbirth and returned as a phi tai thang klom to live with her unsuspecting husband Mak. Her shrine at Wat Mahabut in Bangkok remains a major pilgrimage site.

Details

Origin:

Mae Nak's narrative and devotional practice are concentrated in Bangkok, particularly in the Phra Khanong / Suan Luang area, but her cultural reach extends throughout Thailand and across the Thai-speaking diaspora.

Regions:

Bangkok, Phra Khanong, Suan Luang

First Reported:

1899

Full Account

Mae Nak Phra Khanong (Thai: แม่นากพระโขนง, 'Lady Nak of Phra Khanong'), also known simply as Mae Nak or Nang Nak, is the most famous ghost in Thai folklore. According to Thai tradition the events occurred during the reign of King Rama IV (Mongkut, r. 1851–1868). A beautiful young woman named Nak who lived on the banks of the Phra Khanong canal in what is now eastern Bangkok loved her husband Mak so deeply that even when she and their unborn child died during childbirth while Mak was away as a conscript in the Thai Army, she remained as a phi tai thang klom — the ghost of a woman who died in pregnancy or childbirth — and continued to live with him on his return as if nothing had happened. Mak, oblivious to her death, accepts her care; he is undeceived only when he sees her stretch her arm to an unnatural length from the upper floor of their stilt house to retrieve a fallen lime from the ground below. Realising the truth, Mak flees to the consecrated grounds of Wat Mahabut, where the ghost cannot follow. The historian Anek Nawikamul traces the modern story to an 1899 newspaper article by K.S.R. Kulap describing 'Amdaeng Nak', daughter of a tambon Phra Khanong leader. The shrine to Mae Nak at Wat Mahabut, originally on the canal-side site, was relocated in 1997 to a position within the Suan Luang district of modern Bangkok; today it features a statue of Mae Nak with her infant and is visited by Thai devotees seeking help with childbirth, family matters, and exemption from military conscription. Mae Nak's story is the basis of dozens of Thai films, television series, plays and printed adaptations, beginning with the 1959 film and continuing through Nonzee Nimibutr's celebrated 1999 Nang Nak and the 2013 box-office record-breaking comedy-horror Pee Mak.

Also Known As

• Mae Nak (Thai)
• Nang Nak (Thai)
• Amdaeng Nak (Thai)

Etymology

Origin:

Thai: แม่ (mae, 'mother / lady') + นาก (Nak, the woman's personal name) + พระโขนง (Phra Khanong, the canal and locality in eastern Bangkok). The variant Nang Nak uses the Thai นาง (nang, 'madam').

Meaning:

'Lady Nak of Phra Khanong'.

First Use:

Story is set during the reign of King Rama IV (1851–1868); first traceable newspaper attestation in 1899.

Timeline

• 1851-01-01 — Reign of King Rama IV (Mongkut) begins; the events of the legend are traditionally placed in this period (Provides the historical setting of the canonical narrative)
• 1899-01-01 — K.S.R. Kulap publishes a newspaper article describing 'Amdaeng Nak', daughter of a Tambon Phra Khanong leader — the earliest traceable textual source for the modern legend (Earliest verifiable print attestation)
• 1959-01-01 — First major Thai-language film adaptation of the Mae Nak story (Begins the modern run of mass-media adaptations)
• 1997-01-01 — The Mae Nak shrine at Wat Mahabut is relocated to its present position in the Suan Luang district of Bangkok (Major change in the physical devotional landscape)
• 1999-01-01 — Nonzee Nimibutr directs Nang Nak, a critically acclaimed and commercially successful adaptation of the legend (International recognition of the story)
• 2013-03-28 — Banjong Pisanthanakun's Pee Mak is released, becoming a record-breaking Thai box-office success and the highest-grossing Thai film at the time (Mainstream comedy-horror reinterpretation that further popularised the story regionally)

Sightings & Evidence

Cultural Significance

Devotees pray to Mae Nak for safe childbirth, family well-being, and exemption from military conscription; offerings include flowers, baby clothes, and traditional Thai garments.

Related Phenomena

• Phi tai thang klom — Thai ghost-class of women who died in pregnancy or childbirth, of which Mae Nak is the most famous example
• Krasue — Thai female-ghost figure (a head trailing entrails) often discussed alongside Mae Nak
• Phi Am — Thai night-spirit comparable to Western mare/mahr
• Pontianak / Kuntilanak — Malay/Indonesian ghost of a woman who died in childbirth, a regional cognate of phi tai thang klom

Tags

Sources

• Mae Nak Phra Khanong — Wikipedia
• Nang Nak (1999 film) — Wikipedia
• Mae Nak Phra Khanong: Thailand's Most Famous Ghost (Love) Story — Thailand Foundation