Mae Nak

One day, while reading the Chiang Mai Daily News, I came across the Thai legend of Mae Nak. The story is based on events that took place during the reign of King Rama IV and centers on a beautiful woman named Nak, who lived on the banks of the Phra Khanong Canal. She possessed an undying love for her husband, Mak.

While Nak was pregnant, Mak was drafted into war and seriously wounded. While he was being nursed back to health in central Bangkok, Nak and her child died during a difficult labor. When Mak eventually recovered and returned home, he found his wife and child waiting for him, seemingly alive and well. Neighbors tried to warn Mak that he was living with ghosts, but he refused to believe them.

The truth was finally revealed one day while Mae Nak was preparing Nam Phrik. She accidentally dropped a lime through a hole in the floorboards. As she reached to retrieve it, she stretched her arm to an impossible length to pick it up from the ground below. Seeing this, Mak realized his wife was indeed a ghost. Terrified, he sneaked out of the house and sought refuge on the holy ground of Wat Mahabut.

In her grief and rage, Mae Nak began to terrorize the people of Phra Khanong, blaming them for driving Mak away. Eventually, a powerful exorcist managed to capture her spirit, confining her in an earthen jar which he then threw into the canal. However, the ghost was later accidentally freed by an old couple who found the jar while fishing.

Peace was finally restored when the distinguished monk, Somdej Toh, arrived. He approached Mae Nak with calmness and compassion rather than force. Under his spiritual guidance, she finally let go of her earthly attachment and moved on to a place of rest and peace.