Pu Sae and Ya Sae are a pair of ancestral spirits, often pictured as giants, venerated as guardian spirits of the Chiang Mai valley and the Doi Suthep-Pui mountain range. Their legend, rooted in the pre-Buddhist animist beliefs of the indigenous Lawa people, is a cornerstone of Lan Na folklore and tells of their transformation from cannibalistic ogres into powerful protectors of the city and its watershed. Their veneration centers on Pithi Liang Dong, the Feast of the Forest, an annual ritual in which a water buffalo is sacrificed to appease the pair and secure the region's prosperity.
Facts
Attestation
Veneration TodayActively venerated in a living tradition 1 HistoricityNot a historical person: a divine or other-than-human being 1 Function
Domain / FunctionProtection and guardianship 1 Belief
TheologyPolytheistic: many gods 1 Sources
1. The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend
Anthony S. Mercatante, revised and expanded by James R. Dow, Facts on File
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