Haunted Thailand: Folklore, Ghosts, and Demons in the Land of Smiles
Haunted Thailand is a non-fiction book about Thai beliefs and their love of things that go bump in the night. And in Thailand, there are a lot of ghostly – and ghastly – goings on.
Yup, it’s time to promote something I wrote. In my defence, I haven’t done this in years.
How did Haunted Thailand come about, and why?
In 2006, I was working as a journalist in Bangkok. (How that came about is a much longer story.) My editor wanted an 800-word piece on ghosts in Thailand. If you’ve never been there, the supernatural is ubiquitous, with shrines outside every building and spirits lurking around every corner.
Some of the ghost stories are awesome and have been made into numerous films and TV shows.
For example, take Mae Nak, one of the most famous stories in the country. She was a young woman who died in childbirth while her husband was away at war. Rather than do the traditional thing of staying dead, she came back and pretended everything was fine. Her husband fell for her ruse, and if any of the villagers, who knew she was dead, tried to tell him, Mae Nak killed them. It’s a great tale and one that has appeared in tons of films and other media.
Haunted Thailand also describes some of the demons and ghosts that wander around.
- A Krasue – a surprisingly attractive flying female head with dangling entrails and a truly disgusting diet.
- A Praet, a twenty-foot tall invisible entity with colossal hands, a minuscule mouth, and a raging hunger.
- As if they weren’t enough, there are other stories, including hauntings at the international airport, attractive women who are actually seductive tree spirits and even a ghost who lives in toilets and helps out with nightmares.
Then magic spells, rituals, and the occult to the mix, and it is a wonder that any Thais leave the house at night.
If you are interested in folklore or simply want to read some great true-life ghost stories, give Haunted Thailand: Ghosts and Spirits in the Land of Smiles a try.
