Mae Posop

Mae Posop

ALSO KNOWN AS:

Mae Phra Posop; Mae Phosop

ORIGIN:

Thailand

Once upon a time, rice required no labor or cultivation. All you had to do was gather it. Yesteryear’s rice was far superior to our own: each grain was silver, fragrant, and five times larger than a human fist. Unfortunately, one day, a bad-tempered widow husking rice roughly smashed a grain with a piece of wood. The rice shattered and splintered, the piecesradiating out in all directions, one landing in Mae Posop’s lap.

Mae Posop is the rice mother, inherent in every single grain of rice. Furious at this disrespect, she levied a curse that prevented rice from growing for one thousand years. People began to starve, and other deities attempted to coax Mae Posop into releasing rice. She finally agreed but only with the following stipulations:

• Rice is now smaller, the size of the offending splinters, not the original grain.

• Rice must be cultivated with labor.

• All due respect must be given rice and Mae Posop.

Mae Posop is the mother of the rice crop. When rice plants begin to seed, that means she is pregnant. Women traditionally place offerings in a bamboo basket, similar to giving gifts at a baby shower. In addition to her standard offerings, Mae Posop is given gifts that pregnant women are perceived as craving, like sour fruits. Baskets are brought to the rice fields where women chant for her.

She is generous and fertile but tense and skittish. She panics easily. Any sudden shock or disturbance may cause her to flee. From the time of seeding until the harvest, no men are permitted in the rice fields. Loud noises and morbid or scary discussions of death or Demons are forbidden. Failure of the rice crop is perceived as miscarriage.

As Thailand has become increasingly urban and rice farmers have moved to cities, Mae Posop may have evolved into Nang Kwak.

MANIFESTATION:

Mae Posop is a beautiful woman with long dark hair. She wears a tiara and a sarong with a golden belt.

ATTRIBUTES:

A sheaf of rice stalks in her right hand and a bag of wealth in her left

OFFERINGS:

Flowers, perfume, combs, mirrors, sarongs, desserts

SEE ALSO:

Mae Nak; Nang Kwak

SOURCE:

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses – Written by : Judika Illes Copyright © 2009 by Judika Illes.