Nang Mai
นางไม้
Ringkasan
Nang mai adalah roh dalam cerita rakyat Thailand yang menghuni pohon besar dan membangun istana tak terlihat di dalamnya; siapa pun yang menebang pohonnya akan dikutuk.
Nang mai is a spirit of Thai folklore who inhabits a large tree and builds an invisible palace in it; anyone who cuts the tree will be cursed.
Kisah dan tradisi
Nang mai adalah roh dalam cerita rakyat Thailand yang menghuni pohon besar. Ia membangun istana di pohon itu yang tidak dapat dilihat siapa pun, dan orang yang menebang pohonnya akan dikutuk, jatuh sakit, bahkan menjadi gila. Dalam kepercayaan Thailand, nang mai dianggap berkuasa membuat orang takut menebang pohon. Kantor Royal Society Thailand menyebutnya dewa (thewada) penghuni pohon besar, dan menjelaskan bahwa ia memamerkan kekuatan agar pohonnya tidak ditebang karena ia akan kehilangan tempat tinggal. Nang mai digambarkan sebagai perempuan muda berjubah lipit, berselendang, dan berambut sebahu. Ia juga bisa laki-laki dan disebut Rukkhadeva; Rukkhadeva kebanyakan menghuni beringin atau pohon besar, sedangkan nang mai kebanyakan tinggal di pohon yang lebih kecil. Jika warga desa melihat nang mai menghuni sebuah pohon, mereka mengikatkan kain tiga warna pada pohon itu. Dalam bayangan orang zaman dahulu, nang mai juga berkain lipit dan berselendang miring (sabai chiang). Dalam sastra Thai, rukkhadeva penghuni beringin disebut Phra Sai dan menolong sang pahlawan. Orang Thailand percaya ada nang mai yang baik, yang memperingatkan pemilik yang merawatnya akan bahaya, dan nang mai yang jahat, yang memikat laki-laki untuk dijadikan suami atau dibunuh. Nang Tani dan Nang Ta-khian juga termasuk nang mai, dan yang menghuni pohon besar seperti ta-khian dianggap paling bermusuhan. Seorang peneliti menggolongkan nang mai, nang tani, dan nang takhian sebagai hantu perempuan yang dapat memberi manfaat sekaligus merugikan. Bila orang ingin menebang pohon besar di hutan, mereka harus lebih dulu melakukan upacara memohon maaf. Nang Ta-khian secara tradisional didiami pohon yang batangnya dililit kain satin berwarna, dan ia dapat pula mendiami rumah yang bertiang kayu ta-khian; kayu itu hampir hanya dipakai di biara Buddha, karena jasa para biksu dianggap cukup membuatnya tidak berbahaya. Salah satu kuil nang mai yang paling populer di Thailand adalah Sao Ronghai di Wat Sung, Tambon Sao Hai. Menurut legenda, tiang takhian itu dikirim dari Saraburi menyusuri Sungai Pa Sak ke Bangkok, tidak terpilih karena ujungnya bengkok, lalu rohnya bersedih, menangis, dan hanyut kembali hingga mendarat di depan kantor Distrik Sao Hai. Orang sering mendengar tangisan perempuan di sana, dan desa di dekatnya dinamai Ban Sao Hai. Dalam salah satu tradisi, laki-laki yang menikah secara adat dengan nang mai tetap boleh menikahi perempuan lain, tetapi bila anak sulungnya laki-laki, anak itu wajib menjalani upacara pernikahan dengan nang mai. Kini orang Thailand juga menghormati pohon besar dengan mempersembahkan pakaian Thai, parfum, dan perlengkapan rias.
The nang mai is a spirit of Thai folklore that dwells in a large tree. It builds a palace in the tree that no one can see, and whoever cuts the tree will be cursed, fall ill or even go mad. In Thai belief the nang mai is held to have the power to make people afraid of felling trees. The Office of the Royal Society of Thailand calls her a deva (thewada) of large trees and explains that she shows her power so the tree is not cut down, since she would lose her home. The nang mai is described as a young woman in a pleated robe with a sash and shoulder-length hair. It can also be male, called Rukkhadeva; the Rukkhadeva mostly inhabits banyans or large trees, whereas the nang mai mostly lives in smaller trees. If villagers see a nang mai in a tree, they tie a three-coloured cloth around it. In the imagination of earlier generations she also wears a pleated cloth and a diagonal sash (sabai chiang). In Thai literature the rukkhadeva of the banyan is called Phra Sai and helps the hero. Thais believe there are good nang mai, who warn owners who care for them of coming danger, and evil nang mai, who lure men to be their husbands or simply kill them. Nang Tani and Nang Ta-khian are also nang mai, and those in large trees such as the ta-khian are thought most hostile. One scholar classes the nang mai, nang tani and nang takhian among female spirits that may bring both benefit and harm. If people want to cut large trees in the forest they must first perform a ceremony asking for forgiveness. The Nang Ta-khian traditionally inhabits trees wrapped in coloured satin, and she may also haunt a house with ta-khian pillars; the wood is used almost only in Buddhist monasteries, where the monks' merit is considered enough to make it harmless. One of Thailand's most popular nang mai shrines is Sao Ronghai at Wat Sung, Tambon Sao Hai. According to legend the takhian pillar was sent from Saraburi down the Pa Sak River to Bangkok, was passed over because its tip was crooked, and its spirit grieved, wept and floated back until it landed in front of the Sao Hai District Office. People often heard women crying there, and the nearby village was named Ban Sao Hai. In one tradition a man wed to a nang mai by custom may still marry another woman, yet if his eldest child is a son, that son is obliged to go through the marriage rites with the nang mai. Thai people today also honour large trees with offerings of Thai costumes, perfumes and make-up sets.
Konteks budaya
Kini orang Thailand menghormati pohon besar dengan mempersembahkan pakaian Thai, parfum, dan perlengkapan rias. Menurut Duangwises, pemujaan nang takhian sebagai dewa pohon sudah lazim di daerah pada awal masa Rattanakosin, dan ia membaca pemujaannya sebagai perpaduan modernitas dan kepercayaan tradisional. Rattanaphon menemukan nang mai dalam tiga nirat dan menilai penggambarannya meneruskan kepercayaan pada roh penjaga pohon.
Thai people now honour large trees with offerings of Thai costumes, perfumes and make-up sets. Duangwises says worship of the nang takhian as a tree deity was commonly seen in localities in the early Rattanakosin period, and reads her worship as a merging of modernity and traditional belief. Rattanaphon finds nang mai in three nirat poems and judges their depictions to carry on the belief in tree-guardian spirits.
Fakta utama
- Budaya / Culture
- Tradisi Thailand
- Kawasan / Region
- Asia Tenggara
- Negara / Country
- Thailand
- Klasifikasi / Classification
- Spirit
- Habitat
- Forest
- Kemampuan / Abilities
- Kutukan
Nama lain / Alternate names
Rukkhadeva