Grouping | Legendary creature Tutelary deity |
---|---|
Sub grouping | Nocturnal, undead |
Similar entities | Nang Ta-khian Bashōnosei |
Folklore | Southeast Asian folk mythology |
Other name(s) | Phi Tani, Tani |
Country | Thailand, Laos, Cambodia |
Region | Southeast Asia |
Habitat | Banana tree clumps |
Nang Tani (Thai: นางตานี; "Lady of Tani") is a female spirit of the Thai folklore. According to folk tradition, this ghost appears as a young woman that haunts wild banana trees (Musa balbisiana), known as in Thai language as Kluai Tani (กล้วยตานี).[1]
Nang Tani belongs to a type of female ghosts or fairies related to trees known generically as Nang Mai (นางไม้; "Lady of the Wood") in the Thai lore.[2] There is a similar spirit in the Cambodian folklore, as well as in the Lao popular tradition.
Nang Tani may also be called Phi Tani (ผีตานี; "Ghost of Tani") or Phrai Tani (พรายตานี; "Nymph of Tani").