#thai folklore

Symbolism in Shine

When Trin and Tanwa are talking at the party, Tanwa tells Trin that even if he went to the moon he wouldn't be alone up there because of the rabbit.

In Thai folklore rabbits (and hares) are associated with the moon.

In Chanthaburi (moon city) you can find rabbit symbols all over.

This is likely due to the Buddhist Jataka Tale

The Old Man And The Rabbit

In this story, four animals decide to perform some charity on the night of the full moon to accrue merit.

They find an old man begging for food and a monkey, an otter and a jackal all manage to find something to bring to the old man.

The last animal was a rabbit and having nothing to offer except for grass he threw himself into the fire, (dramatic sacrifices are pretty common in the Jataka tales.)

Luckily for the rabbit the old man was really Shakra, the lord of the gods in Buddhist cosmology and moved by the rabbit's sacrifice, he saved him from the flames and had his image preserved on the moon.

Jade Rabbit

In Chinese mythology the moon goddess Chang-e has a pet rabbit named YuTu.

Tu'er Shen

China also has The Rabbit God, a deity who arranges love and sex between men 🐇

Lost in Translation

Tanwa uses word play to make a joke here, one that the english subtitles really struggle to convey.

There is a Thai idiom called "shooting rabbits" which refers to men going to wee behind a bush or something. The idea being that sometimes when a man finds himself in a rural spot and just has to relieve himself, he may startle some unsuspecting wildlife in the process hence "shooting rabbits" 🤣

So, when Trin asks Tanwa what should a man do if he finds himself stuck on the moon with a rabbit, Tanwa suggests he try "shooting rabbits." 🌚🌙

LittleBIGworld with Pond Phuwin (2022 - 2023) | ep.11

The Krasue [Thai folklore, Laotian folklore, Cambodian folklore]

The Krasue is a creature from folklore of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. It is commonly depicted as the floating head of a woman with her organs dangling below the neck. Though the head is usually portrayed as that of a pretty young woman, this is not always the case, as sometimes it’s an elderly lady. Nevertheless, these monsters are created when an evil spirit possesses a woman and separates her head from her body. The head then floats away to prey on people’s organs, but always at night. Sometimes, it attacks pregnant women to eat the unborn child.

Note that in some versions, these beings were particularly sinful people (usually but not exclusively women) who died and were punished with undeath.

There are two ways to fight a Krasue: first, if you can find its body, you can either move or destroy it. That way, the floating head can no longer rejoin with its body and it will die.

Alternatively, if you cannot find the body, you can try to damage the organs dangling beneath the head. If you manage to cut them off, the creature will die.

This floating freak is often seen in the company of several mysterious burning flames which herald the appearance of a Krasue. These are analogous to 'will of the wisps' in other cultures. As these as often seen in swamps, the phenomenon is often explained as being small pockets of methane gas.

The Krasue has several regional variants, such as the Leyak (Leak) in Indonesia, the Penanggalan in Malaysia, etc.

Source:

https://archive.vn/20130105115822/http://www.zimbio.com/Thailand/articles/DAe64TBCLLk/Introduction+Ghost+Thai+Culture

Mae Nak Phra Khanong from Thai folklore.

The story is about a beautiful young woman named Mae Nak, who lived on the banks of the Phra Khanong Canal, and her undying love for her husband, Tid Mak.

With Mae Nak pregnant, Tid Mak is conscripted and sent to war where he is seriously wounded. While he is being nursed back to health in central Bangkok, Mae Nak and their child both die during a difficult childbirth. When Tid Mak returns home, however, he finds his loving wife and child waiting for him. Neighbors who try to warn him that he is living with a ghost are all killed.

One day, as Mae Nak is preparing nam phrik, she drops a lime off the porch. In her haste to retrieve it, she stretches her arm to pick it up from the ground below. Tid Mak sees it and at last realizes his wife is a ghost. Terrified, he tries to find a way to flee without alarming her.

That night, Tid Mak says he has to go downstairs to urinate. He then runs away into the night.

Discovering her husband has fled, Mae Nak pursues him. Tid Mak sees her and conceals himself behind a Blumea balsamifera  bush. According to folklore, ghosts are afraid of the sticky Blumea leaves. Tid Mak then runs to Wat Mahabut temple, which a ghost cannot enter, as it is holy ground.

In her grief, Mae Nak terrorizes the people of Phra Khanong, furious at them for causing Tid Mak to leave her. However, Mae Nak’s ghost is captured by a powerful exorcist. Confining her in an earthen jar, he throws it into the canal.

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