Doi Nang Non

Many Thai folk tales are based on the Buddhist texts. Throughout Thailand there are also local folk stories connected with particular geographic features, such as the story of Doi Nang Non, the “Mountain of the Sleeping Lady”, and the legend about the formation of Khao Sam Roi Yot mountains and islands. Thailand is also well known for its horror movies, and that is no coincidence – their folk tales are known to border on spooky!

According to legend, the mountain of Doi Nang Non in Chiang Rai takes its unusual shape from that of a sleeping lady. A beautiful princess was betrothed to a man who ran away, leaving her pregnant and alone. She waited for him, and went out looking for him, fearing he was lost. After walking for several days, she collapsed to the ground and, realising he had left her, cried out in despair before dying. As her ghost left her body, it grew to a large size and eventually became a mountain range, today called Doi Nang Non – or the mountain of the sleeping lady.

This shows the core of Thai folklore, which is rooted in folk religion. Until they were recorded, folk beliefs were handed down orally from one generation to the next, and have held a deep fascination and belief that are now embodied in physical structures, all of which are respected and well looked after.