University of Virginia Library

THE MYTH OF PHADAENG AND NANG AI

Version 1 (related by Phau Nu, a village elder)

Thao Pangkee was once upon a time the `hired child' (luug chang) or
servant of a rich couple who in due course gave their daughter Nang Ai in
marriage to him. One day Pangkee and his wife went into the forest and
there found a wild fig tree (ton mai ma deua) bearing fruits. Pangkee asked
his wife to climb the tree to pick fruits, which she did, but when she
descended she found her husband missing. She searched for him without
success, and in the course of the search she came to a river. She then

vowed by the bank of the river that in her next life she would not meet
a husband like Pangkee, who had deserted her. After their deaths Pangkee
was born the son of a Naga ruler[2] named Sirisutho, and Nang Ai was
born the daughter of Phaya Korm, the ruler of Naung Haan.

Thao Phadaeng, the ruler of a city called Pha Pong, courted Nang Ai
and they became lovers. Nang Ai's father, Phaya Korm,[3] proclaimed his
intention to hold the rocket festival called Bunbangfai, and Phadaeng and
Phaya Chieng Han, another ruler, decided to compete in it. Pangkee, the
Naga prince, also heard the news about the rocket festival and since he
had heard about Nang Ai's beauty he wanted very much to see her. So he
transformed himself into a human being and attended the festival but
he failed to see Nang Ai. The winner of the rocket competition was
Phaya Chieng Han; Phadaeng's rocket failed to take off.

Pangkee returned to the Naga city, but he still yearned to see Nang Ai.
So he solicited permission from his parents to go up again to the human
world. They agreed, unwillingly, and sent their Naga army to accompany
him. When they emerged from the water, Pangkee took the form of
a white squirrel (gahog daun) and jumped from tree to tree. The accompanying
Naga soldiers transformed themselves into birds and followed him.

Nang Ai, in her palace at this time, felt uneasy and fretful (mai pen sug).
She felt she did not want to stay inside, so she went and sat outside in
the garden. There she saw the squirrel at the foot of a tree; it was a beautiful
animal with golden bells round its neck and a melodious voice. She wanted
to possess it and asked her maids and pages to catch it, but they were
unsuccessful. She thereupon sent for a hunter who had a cross-bow
(na seeng). The hunter said that it was not possible for him to catch the
squirrel alive but that he could kill it. Nang Ai agreed, and the hunter
shot the squirrel. Before it died, it said farewell to its Naga parents.
Phra In[4] came down from heaven and daubed the squirrel's body with
perfume (kreuang haum).

The meat of the squirrel filled 8,000 wagons and was distributed to all
the citizens except old widows, because they did not help in the work (mai
chuay gnaan). The hunter was given a leg and he too distributed the meat
to several others.

The Naga army returned to their city bearing the sad news to Pangkee's
parents. The parents became very wrathful and, leading their army,
burrowed underground, churned up the mud and attacked the human
settlements, which sank into the ground. This is how Naung Huan and
Byng Chuan became large swamps.

Meanwhile Phadaeng, who had been away during the killing of the
squirrel, had come to visit his sweetheart, Nang Ai, but his journey was
obstructed by logs on the ground. (These logs were the naga who had
thus transformed themselves.) When he met Nang Ai he inquired what
building was going to be constructed, since he had seen so many logs.
Nang Ai told him about the killing of the squirrel. She then set out food
for him, but he did not eat the meat because it was so sweet-smelling.
He asked Nang Ai `Why did you eat this meat? Are you not afraid that
the city will sink?' They went to sleep, but before dawn they heard the
noise of the earth cracking (pandin lun). Phadaeng fled with Nang Ai on
horseback, and they took with them the regalia of the city (prachum myang),
namely the gong (kong), the drum (glong), and the ring (waen).

The horse found galloping heavy going because of the mud, so the
riders threw away the gong, and the place where it fell was called Baan
Nam Kong; next they threw away the drum, and the place where it fell
was called Baan Naung Glong. Finally the ring was thrown away, and the
place where it fell became Baan Non Waen. Phaya Naga kept pursuing
them, caught up with them, lashed out with his tail and swept Nang Ai
from horseback. Phadaeng alone escaped.

Version 2 (related by Phau Champi, village elder and leader)

There was a ruler of a city called Myang Naung Haan and his name was
Phraya Korm.[5] He had a daughter called Nang Ai and she was exceedingly
beautiful.

Phraya Korm decided to hold a rocket-firing competition in the sixth
lunar month (dyan hog peng), and ordered his subjects to make the necessary
preparations. Phadaeng, who lived in Myang Pong (and who was in love
with Nang Ai and she with him), made a rocket in order to participate;
so did Phraya Siang Hian, the ruler of the city of Siang Hian Fa Daed.
Phraya Korm also decided to be a competitor, and offered the wager
that the person whose rocket went up highest would be the winner and
would be awarded his daughter, Nang Ai; if his own went highest, Nang Ai
would not be awarded to anyone.

On the day of the competition, Thao Pangkee, the son of the Naga
ruler, came up (from his subterranean residence) to witness the competition
and he saw Princess Nang Ai and fell in love with her. Pangkee and Nang
Ai were in a previous life husband and wife, but Pangkee had not been
attentive to her (mai liow lae) and so they had separated. In this life in
turn Nang Ai did not pay any attention to Pangkee.

The results of the rocket-firing were as follows: Phraya Korm's rocket

exploded and did not go up; neither did Phadaeng's. Siang Hian was the
winner but since he was already married he did not take Nang Ai. Both
Phraya Korm and Phadaeng were depressed by the failure of their rockets, for
this was a bad omen and they feared that their subjects would not enjoy
prosperity and good health.

Pangkee, the Naga prince, still in love with Nang Ai, took the disguise
of a white squirrel (gahog daun), wearing a collar with a bell attached.
He was most beautiful to behold. He climbed up to the top of a tree.
Birds crowded round him because of his beauty. Princess Nang Ai saw
the squirrel and wanted very much to have it. A hunter was called to
shoot the squirrel, and he shot it. The squirrel fell down from the tree
and as it lay dying said in its last gasp to Nang Ai: `Why do you want to
eat the white squirrel's meat? Are you not afraid that the kingdom will
sink into the ground?'[6]

Phraya Korm and Phadaeng, and all the people, also heard the squirrel's
last words. When the people cut up the squirrel, its meat filled 8,000 carts.
All came to take away the meat except an old widow (mae mai) who was
late in coming. Phadaeng was surprised and apprehensive about the
squirrel's words, so he ordered Nang Ai to go away with him on a horse,
whose name was Bak Saam. He told her to bring with her the `good things'
(khong dee dee)[7] of the city, namely ring (waen), gong (kong), and drum
(glong). They sped on horseback towards Phadaeng's town of Pha Pong.

Soon after they set out, the earth behind them cracked and sank down.
Phraya Korm's town was submerged and became the swamp Naung
Haan. The island in the middle of the swamp was the house of the old
widow who did not eat the meat. The hill is called noon mae mai. The
citizens who lived where the swamp Byng Chuan now stands, when they
heard about the squirrel meat, tried to persuade (chuan) one another to
go and take a share. While they were doing so, their town sank and became
the swamp Byng Chuan. The people of another town doubted (sang)[8] as
to whether they should or should not go to take some meat: their town
sank and became the swamp Byng Sang.

Things happened to Phadaeng and Nang Ai as they were fleeing. After
some distance the horse, Bak Saam, became very tired and fell down and
died. This place was called Huay (tributary) Saam Paad. Phadaeng and
Nang Ai then started to walk, carrying the regalia with them. Because they
were heavy, Phadaeng asked Nang Ai to throw away the ring (waen), the

gong (kong) and the drum (glong): the place where the ring fell was called
swamp Naung Waen, and where the gong and drum fell Huay (tributary)
Nam Kong Glong Si. All these geographical features are in Kumpawapi
District, Udorn province.