Thai Ghosts and Spirits
Almost all Thai people believe in ghosts and are often very afraid of them. This might seem a bit unusual to a Westerner brought up on Scooby Doo and the like. To give you a slightly better understanding of your Thai host's fear of the dark and what dwells there we'll tell you a little bit about a few of the large range of ghosts - or Pee in Thai - that inhabit the Thai spirit world. Get a cup of hot chocalate, move a little closer to the fire and read on.
Pee Am
This disembodied spirit accosts the unwary as they sleep and tries to crush them. Victims struggle to open their eyes or cry out for help and sometimes if they can't draw breath they can be asphyxiated.
Pee Dtai Tong Gam
These are the spirits of women that have died in childbirth. They are considered very powerful and black magicians prepare an oil by burning the chin of a disinterred corpse that is used to magically attract women. A weak magician can be taken over and destroyed by the spirit which seems to pretty much serve them right for grave robbing. No offence, however, is intended to any magicians, witches, warlocks and the like reading this article.
Pee Bpet
These are the spirits of people who have behaved badly or talked badly to their parents or to respected elders such as monks. In spirit form they are extremely thin and as tall as a coconut tree with skinny legs and long straggly hair. If a Pee Bpet has struck their parents in life then their hands in spirit form are hugely long like palm tree leaves. As a punishment for having spoken ill of people their mouth is tiny and they issue an eerie whistling sound. Unluckily they can only consume a grain of rice at a time.
They travel around trying to find people to ease their suffering by performing rituals to make merit for them.
Pee Krahang
These ghosts move around by flapping their wings which are the round wicker baskets used to separate rice. They always carry a walking stick and their unsavoury diet consists of faeces and other refuse. They consider Placenta a great delicacy.
Pee Kraseu
This is a hostile and much-feared ghost that usually appears by day as a normal-looking woman or occasionally a man. The only way to tell a Pee Kraseu by day is to look into their eyes, they have no cornea. Consequently a Pee Kraseu will avoid your gaze. Be careful about mistaking shy people for ghosts though.
At night things take a turn for the worse and the Pee Pob sheds it's human form, or most of it anyway. They appear as only the disembodied head and dangling entrails of the host. Where a human heart would be there is a flashing light. They have voracious appetites and disturbing eating habits consuming faeces, refuse and placentas like their close relative the Pee Krahang. They transfer between hosts by saliva so be very choosy about who you get friendly with in Thailand.
Pee Prai
These are water spirits that live in rivers, lakes, waterfalls and the sea. The only way to determine their presence is by a characteristic trail of bubbles. They lure unwary swimmers to their doom, first attracting them by calling to them and then dragging them to the depths. Our research on whether they inhabit hotel swimming pools was inconclusive.
Pee Pba
These are very powerful spirits that inhabit the jungle. Perhaps originating in old animist beliefs they are often associated with a particularly large and old tree. As long as they are not offended they pose no threat to people. Hunters often leave offerings to them to ensure that they are appeased. With this in mind it is perhaps unwise to answer the call of nature in the forest against the sides of trees.
Pee Gkong Goi
You really need to be careful in the jungle. In addition to Pee Pba you can come across the Pee Gkong Gkoi. These charming spirits take the shape of black monkeys. They like to consume human intestines and will tear open people's stomachs to do so. On the positive side though, you can expect some prior warning. They cry out "Gkong Gkoi" frequently and move around only by jumping.
Pee Pob
This ghost generally possesses a woman's body but occasionally takes over men as well. They are constantly hungry and consume raw meat, eventually devouring their hosts from the inside out. Pee Pob are often blamed where people are suffering from a disease that doctors cannot diagnose.
Pee Doot Lueat
The good old-fashioned vampire almost comes as a relief after the horrors described above. Besides, since every Thai meal you eat will be liberally laced with garlic you can be reasonably confident of protection from at least this night terror.
There are a whole host of other Thai ghosts as well. Typically when a person is possessed by a ghost their eyes turn red. Other tell-tale signs are that ghosts throw no shadow and cannot be seen in mirrors. So don't say we didn't warn you…
