Mae Sue

Mae Sue is a guardian goddess and female spirit of infants in Thai culture, one of a group of benevolent guardian spirits each believed to protect whatever falls under their name. Her name literally means Mother of Buying, reflecting the belief that when a baby is born, Mae Sue comes and symbolically buys the child in order to keep it safe from the reach of evil spirits. She is regarded as double-edged in Thai folk belief: while she protects newborns from malevolent supernatural forces, she is also, in some regional traditions, blamed for causing illness in children.