Nang Tani

Nang Tani
นางตานี
Nang Tani female ghost
Creature information
Other name(s)Phi Tani, Tani
GroupingLegendary creature
Tutelary deity
Sub groupingNocturnal, undead
Similar entitiesNang Ta-khian
Bashōnosei
FolkloreSoutheast Asian folk mythology
Origin
CountryThailand, Laos, Cambodia
RegionSoutheast Asia
HabitatBanana tree clumps

Nang Tani (Thai: นางตานี; "Lady of Tani") is a female spirit of the Thai folklore. According to folk tradition, this ghost appears as a young woman that haunts wild banana trees (Musa balbisiana), known in Thai language as Kluai Tani (กล้วยตานี).

Nang Tani belongs to a type of female ghosts or fairies related to trees known generically as Nang Mai (นางไม้; "Lady of the Wood") in the Thai lore. There is a similar spirit in the Cambodian folklore, as well as in the Lao popular tradition.

Nang Tani may also be called Phi Tani (ผีตานี; "Ghost of Tani") or Phrai Tani (พรายตานี; "Nymph of Tani").