Nang Kwak
Nang Kwak
ORIGIN:
Thailand
Nang Kwak is a Thai spirit of wealth. Her image is kept in homes and stores to attract customers, business, money, prosperity, and financial stability. Immensely popular, she is considered a spiritual magnet for good fortune.
Nang Kwak may be an indigenous Thai spirit or she may be a derivation of the Hindu spirit Parvati. Like many other Thai spirits, her power is accessed through amulets created in her image. Images of Nang Kwak come in assorted sizes: small enough to wear around your neck or large enough to be the central focus of an altar. Her image is ubiquitous throughout Thailand and in Thai restaurants around the world.
Nang Kwak’s image depicts her as a beautiful, kneeling woman dressed in traditional Thai clothing. She holds a money bag securely in her lap and lifts one of her hands in a gesture of beckoning. This gesture allegedly beckons prosperity, business, and good fortune to her devotees.
Nang Kwak’s image has powerful associations with other amulets, too:
• Maneki Neko, the Japanese Beckoning Cat, serves similar spiritual functions and closely resembles Nang Kwak. Nang Kwak, herself, is sometimes depicted with a cat’s face or tail.
• Nang Kwak is also intensely identified with Thai phallic amulets. Some statues merge their imagery. The front of a statue may appear to simply portray Nang Kwak, but if one looks closely, especially from the back, phallic imagery becomes apparent. From behind, Nang Kwak’s body is modeled in the form of a penis; she wears a glans-shaped hat.
In addition to traditional associations with luck and wealth, phallic-shaped images of Nang Kwak possess the added function of protecting against the Evil Eye and are also reputed to banish malevolent spirits. Although Nang Kwak’s associations with better business and wealth are now dominant, once upon a time she was associated with magical healing and plants. The very oldest images of Nang Kwak were carved from roots and embellished with auspicious words like wealth and treasure.
FAVOURED PEOPLE:
Shopkeepers, peddlers, and owners of small businesses and restaurants
Day: Every day
Is there a day when you don’t need good fortune? Consequently, Nang Kwak works around the clock for you, seven days a week, never taking a day off. If you don’t want her to slack off, it is custoMary to give her daily offerings.
COLOUR:
Red
Creature: Cat
Offering: Garland her image with red flowers. Serve her water or tea and a small dish of food daily. She accepts cooked rice and/or peeled fruit. If you would like to offer something more elaborate, she favours prawns.
Ritual: Chant Nang Kwak’s four syllable mantra (NA SHA LI TI) daily while focusing on your desire for luck, success, prosperity, and good fortune.
SEE ALSO:
Buddha, Emerald; Golden Boy; Mae Po Sop, Maneki Neko; Parvati and the Glossary entry for Mantra
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.
