Contest Entry: Nang Tani

Thailand is the innocent passerby monk who has accidentally encountered the Nang Tani who happens to be Malaysia here

Nang Tani, the female ghost of Southeast Asian folk mythology


Nang Tani, also known as Nang Phrai Tani (นางพราย), Nang Fa Tani (นางฟ้าตานี), Phi Tani (ผีตานี), Mae Phrai Tani (แม่พรายตานี) or simply as Tani (ตานี), is a female spirit of the Thai folklore. According to folk tradition it appears as a young woman that haunts a wild type of banana trees belonging to the Musa balbisiana species, known as in Thai language as Kluai Tani (กล้วยตานี). Nang Tani belongs to a type of female ghosts or fairies related to trees known generically as Nang Mai (นางไม้) in the Thai lore.There is a similar spirit in the Cambodian folklore, as well as in the Lao popular tradition.

Legends:

This ghost inhabits the clumps of wild banana trees and is popularly represented as a beautiful young woman wearing a green traditional Thai costume.

Most of the time Phi Tani remains hidden, but she comes out of the tree and becomes visible especially on full moon nights. She has a greenish complexion, blending with the tree. She generally appears in a standing position and her feet don't touch the ground, but hover slightly above it. She generally has a gentle disposition and may give food to passing Buddhist monks.

It is considered a bad omen to cut trees from the clump Tani inhabits. Offerings are made to her in the form of sweets, incense sticks and flowers. Often people also tie a length of colored satin cloth around the trunk of the banana tree believed to be haunted by her. The Kluai Tani type of banana trees do not belong to the cultivated varieties. Owing to their connection with ghosts, people prefer not to have them growing near their homes and they are not found within village compounds. However, clumps of this tree are found not far from inhabited areas, often at the outskirts of villages or at the edge of cultivated fields by the roadside. They look very much like average banana trees, but their fruits are not edible.Their leaves are commonly used in Thailand to wrap locally-produced sweets and the inflorescence for the treatment of ulcers in traditional medicine.
Legends of the Thai oral tradition say that this spirit may harm men, especially those who have wronged women, but it is mostly considered benevolent.Amulets featuring Nang Tani are popular and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.Some people tie lengths of colored silk around the trunks of the banana trees reputed to be haunted by Nang Tani.

[link]
[link]

Thailand (c)
Malaysia (c)