Phosop

Lore & Background

Phosop is a deity rooted in ancient Thai folklore, though claims of specific cave paintings at Pha Mon Noi in Pha Taem National Park, Ubon Ratchathani province, depicting her are not supported by established archaeological or historical evidence. Her iconographic representation is of a beautiful woman wearing full jewelry and a red or green dress, sitting or standing while holding a harvested rice sheaf on her right shoulder or arm. The recent iconography is based on the devī of Hinduism, but its origins are local and more ancient. In certain locations, a young village woman may dress as Phosop during local rice harvest festivals and celebrations.

Similar rice goddesses exist elsewhere in Southeast Asia: Dewi Sri (also known as Nyi Pohaci) in Indonesia; Po Ino Nogar or Po Nagar among the Cham people of Cambodia and Vietnam; and Nang Khosop in Laos. Among the Khmu people of northern Laos and Vietnam, dances are performed to propitiate the rice goddess. In modern Thailand, paying homage to Phosop by rice farmers is increasingly rare, though the royal family has supported agricultural traditions; a specific event of Queen Mother Sirikit granting royal patronage to this custom in August 2008 is unverified.

Reader's Guide

Phosop holds significance as a central figure in Thai agricultural folklore, embodying the spiritual relationship between farmers and the rice that sustains them. Ritual offerings are made during different steps of rice production to ensure good harvests, and the traditional celebrations related to rice cultivation have deep traditional significance. The Royal Ploughing Ceremony, held annually in Thailand, ends with people scrambling to collect seeds from the furrows to increase their luck. Buddhism has brought about a reinterpretation of pre-Buddhist meanings through the myth of the rice goddess, as studied by some authors. Phosop's legacy persists in modern symbols: she is featured in the logo of the Rice Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand. In Bangkok, only a few shrines remain, such as one at Wat Siri Wattanaram in Taling Chan, where Phosop is worshipped alongside Nang Kwak and Phra Mae Thorani. Another shrine exists in Soi Lat Phrao 1 near Lat Phrao Square. Phosop was also adapted as a protagonist in a Thai fantasy/romantic-comedy TV drama titled 'A Mission from the Goddess of Rice' on Channel 3 in 2021.

Did You Know?

• A specific event of Queen Mother Sirikit giving royal patronage to the custom of paying homage to Phosop in August 2008 is unverified.
• A claim that a golden idol of Phosop at Wat Siri Wattanaram in Bangkok was stolen in the 1970s and never recovered is not a verified fact in reliable sources.