Mae Thoranee

Mother of the Earth; Earth Goddess

ALSO KNOWN AS:

Mae Phra Thoranee; Mae Torranee

ORIGIN:

Thailand

Mae Thoranee, guardian of Earth, cattle, people, and their possessions is the most popular Thai Buddhist female deity. Mae Thoranee epitomizes the benevolent powers implicit in Earth, but she embodies divine feminine energy, too. Mae Thoranee protects against physical, magical, and spiritual dangers.

• She is invoked at the beginning of the rice planting season to protect the harvest.

• Soldiers invoke her blessings before battle.

• Request her protection daily before taking your first step on Earth.

Mae Thoranee vanquishes malevolent spirits. She is requested to help overcome inner Demons, too, including addictions, obsessions, and compulsions.

To request Mae Thoranee’s blessings, pray, petition, and then hold your breath while placing a bit of soil underfoot and on top of your head.

Mae Thoranee may be petitioned for personal fertility. She is invoked for rain in times of drought:

Place offerings in a bowl and place this on Earth.

Pour a libation of water onto Earth.

Speak to Mae Thoranee. Explain the need for rain and tell her that when rain arrives, you will return with more offerings.

There is no need for offerings to always accompany petitions, but vows must be fulfilled immediately after she has granted your request.

Vestiges of ancestor-veneration survives in the Thai Buddhist belief that merit, earned by doing good deeds, may be transferred to the deceased, reducing their suffering in Hell, improving their karma, and helping them achieve rebirth sooner. In addition to other methods, merit (essentially “karma points”) may be accrued and transferred by offering alms or food to Buddhist monks who, in turn, chant blessings and perform rituals. Merit-dedicating rituals involve pouring water into containers, chanting, and then pouring the water on the ground. Mae Thoranee is invoked to witness these rituals. She uses her long hair to receive the water. (Some schools of Buddhism perceive the implication that merit can be bought as offensive and heretical.)

According to legend, Buddha Shakyamuni, seated beneath the bodhi tree, vowed not to rise until he attained enlightenment. Demons arrived to distract him, but Buddha touched the ground and invoked Mae Thoranee to witness his good deeds. Instantly emerging from the ground, she twisted and squeezed her hair so that water representing Buddha’s accrued merit emerged. Enough water flowed to drown the host of Demons.

MANIFESTATION:

Mae Thoranee is the essence of Earth, but she also manifests as a woman. Usually formless, she manifests only when necessary as when summoned by Buddha. Mae Thoranee’s hair is so long it touches the ground. Sacred literature describes her as having black skin and green hair like rich, fertile soil and grass respectively, but she is often portrayed as a black-haired Thai woman. Her eyes are the color of a blue lotus.

ICONOGRAPHY:

Mae Thoranee is usually portrayed in the act of twisting her long, beautiful hair to squeeze out water. Statues of Mae Thoranee are positioned to protect Buddha in Thai and Lao shrines. Her image is incorporated into the logo of the Thai Democrat Party.

OFFERINGS:

Place offerings in or on Earth. Traditional offerings include water, rice, sugar cane, betel nuts, flowers, incense, or candles.

SEE ALSO:

Buddha Shakyamuni

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.