Mae Nak Phra Khanong: A Thai Ghost Story for Halloween

The course material for my M2 Main class is too easy for my students. I'm given the top students to teach, and I even have several native English speakers in my class. We can cover the unit material very quickly in a few periods, so I often have to come up with extra exercises to do. This week, in the spirit of Halloween, I asked my students to get in groups and write a ghost story to tell me. In exchange, I would tell them an American ghost story the next class (I told the story of the Winchester Mystery House). Most, if not all of my students are terrified of ghosts, so some of them had their own "encounters" to write about. Several groups however wrote different versions of the same story - possibly Thailand's most famous ghost story. Intrigued, I looked into this story to learn more about it. I decided to recount this story as a special Halloween post. This is the legend of Mae Nak Phra Khanong (Lady Nak of Phra Khanong):

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During the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV) in the mid 19th century, there lived a beautiful woman named Nak who lived in Phra Khanong district of Bangkok with her husband Mak, whom she very much loved. The young couple was overjoyed to learn that Nak was pregnant with their child, but their joy was short-lived. Mak was called to war leaving his wife alone. Sadly, both Nak and the baby died during childbirth.

Mak was seriously wounded in the war and kept away from home for a long time while he was nursed back to health. When he returned to Bangkok, he was overjoyed to be reunited with his wife and daughter, unaware that they were both ghosts.

The family lived together happily for some time. One night while preparing dinner, Nak dropped a lime which rolled under the porch of their wooden house. She carelessly reached out to retrieve it, passing her hand directly through the floorboards. Mak noticed this and became terrified. He fled his home, pursued by the ghost of his wife.

Mak ran to Wat Mahabut temple, where the ghost, being unable to cross over holy ground, could not follow. The distressed Mak consulted the abbot of the temple, a powerful exorcist who agreed to brave Nak who in her grief had begun terrorizing the local people.

The monk trapped the ghost in a clay jar, and threw it into the Chao Phraya River. This didn't hold the angry spirit for long however. The jar was soon discovered by a pair of fishermen who unwittingly release her back into Bangkok. The venerable and wise monk Phra Somdej Toh was called to confront Nak's vengeful ghost. He captured her and bound her spirit to a holy waistband. The monk spoke to Nak and assured her that she and her beloved husband would be together for eternity in the afterlife. Upon hearing this, Nak voluntarily departed the mortal realm.

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The waistband was passed down through the years, eventually coming to Prince Chumphon. The legend says that the holy waistband is now in the possession of the Royal Family. There is now a temple in Bangkok honoring Mae Nak. 

This story is a very well-known one in Thailand. Everyone loves a good ghost story, and the Thais are no exception! In fact, Thailand is famous for its ghost stories. This one is especially popular because many people are inspired by Nak's (literally) undying love for her husband.