Nat (spirit)
The Nats ( Burmese နတ် ) are supernatural beings, spirits that are highly revered in the popular beliefs of Buddhism in Myanmar (Burma). The Burmese word nat is derived from the Pali and Sanskrit word natha , which means lord or guardian. The Burmese nats are divided into 37 major nats and all the rest (spirits of the forest, water, air, etc.)
Qualities and practices of worship
Almost all of the 37 great nats are human beings who were violently killed - often by unjust rulers. There are two types of nats: lower nats are devas of the lower six Buddhist heavens, while the higher nats live in the higher six spheres. Worship of the nats is less widespread in the cities than in the rural areas, or it is partly restricted to defined areas of Myanmar. The ethnic Burmese in particular practice nat worship. Many houses have special nat sin or nat ein that serve as an altar for nat worship. Villages often have a protective spirit, symbolized by a hanging coconut with a red turban in the center of the village.
Nats have human traits, feelings, desires and needs. They are good, helpful, bad, spiteful, immoral, and most of all - they are powerful. Burmese believe that angry or angry nats can bring terrible atrocities into their lives if not respected and revered. Nats appear during nat pwè , which are special celebrations for the worship of Nats: they are embodied in trance and dance by nat-gadaw , female media (but often also transvestites ). They belong to the characters of the traditional theater form zat pwe and the marionette theater yoke thé . At all events they love loud and colorful music with Gong games ( kyi waing ), drum circles ( hsaing waing ) and the oboe teeth , which is often very rhythmic and fast play. The largest Nat festival usually takes place in August in Taungbyone , about 20 kilometers north of Mandalay . The focus is on the worship of the so-called Muslim brothers Byat-wi and Byat-ta, two of the most famous nats of the Bagan period.
In the case of the lower Nats, the reference to animistic ideas from ethnic religions is still clearly noticeable: They often live in or near old trees or stones, on mountains or by rivers. Often they are not in human form. The Nat shrines built on trees, fields, bodies of water or villages often look like small dollhouses (similar to the village haunted houses in neighboring Thailand) made of wood, straw or bamboo. Their correct location, initiation and worship are overseen by the local shaman ( saya ).
Nats were worshiped in Myanmar before Buddhism spread, but were then embedded in Buddhism and Shakyamuni (Buddha Gautama) declared the highest nat, at whose birth all other nats were present. This mixture of local older religions with Buddhist intellectual property is not unique, but is omnipresent in Buddhism.
The main pilgrimage site in Myanmar is Popa Taung Kalat near Bagan , a 737 meter high volcanic cone with numerous temples and relics on the top near the 1513 meter high extinct volcano Mount Popa .
From 1805 onwards, the poet and musician Myawaddy Mingyi U Sa systematically collected the mythological characteristics and worship practices of the 37 Nats on behalf of the king.
List of nats
King Anawrahta set the number of nats at 37 after he realized that he could not eradicate the belief in nat, and built a large pagoda with a golden stupa on Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) in Bagan . The official Nat pantheon consists mainly of people related to the Burmese royal family, but also contains nats from the ethnic groups of the Thai (Yun Bayin) and Shan (Maung Po Tu).
- Thagyamin, the king of the Nats, is often identified with the Buddhist Deva Sakra and the Hindu god Indra . He is usually shown standing or sitting on a three-headed white elephant, holding a conch shell in one hand and a frond of yak hair in the other.
- Mahagiri, the son of the famous blacksmith U Tint Daw, was called Maung Tint De (Nga Tinde). He was exceptionally strong and could break an elephant's tusk. The king of Tagaung ( Tagaung Min ) feared that Mahagiri would seize his throne. So he married Maung Tint's sister, Saw Me Ya, who became one of his queens. He persuaded Saw Me Ya to invite her brother to hold high office. When Maung Tint came out of hiding to the court, the king had him burned alive under a sagawabin tree. His sister died with him. Both became the evil Nats who now lived in this tree and regularly devoured people who came too close to this tree. The king therefore had the tree cut down and thrown into the Irrawaddy. The pieces were washed up to Bagan, where King Thinligyaung took them to Mount Popa in two pieces (one for each nat). There human figures were carved out of it and later provided with golden heads.
- Hnamadawgyi, or Golden Face, was his first name Saw Me Yar. She was the eldest sister of Maung Tint De. She became Queen of Tagaung. When she saw that her brother was being burned alive, she jumped into the fire and also burned and became the Nat. She is shown standing on a black elephant, her right hand on her hip with a plum between her thumb and forefinger, her left hand hanging down at the side.
- Shwenabay was the most beautiful woman in her village and married a man from the Burmese tribe of the Ngga. Later her husband left her and she died of lovesickness. Shwenabay is shown standing with a ngga headdress, the right hand on the hip, the left hanging down.
- Thonbanhla was a born Mon from Takunnwan Village. She was incredibly beautiful and was to be married to King Dndataung of Pyay . The main wife was very jealous of the beautiful Thonbanhla and told the king that his new wife was so ugly and so fat that she would not even fit through the city gate. The king then refused to marry Thonbanhla, who then died of desperation. In another story, she is the young sister of Maung Tint De and married the King Samein Htaw Yarma of Ut Thaala. She died giving birth to her daughter Shin Mine.
- Taungoo Mingaung, a minor governor of Taungoo and the son of Min Ye Theinkthu, the royal representative, died of sudden illness. He is shown seated cross-legged in regal robes, holding a fan in his right hand while his left hand is supported on his knee.
- Mintara the King of Ava once hunted in a forest where he met a fairy and fell in love with her. When she disappeared, he became terminally ill. During his illness, he was murdered by his subordinate Nga Nawk. Mintara sits on a throne, wears royal robes, holds a fan in his right hand and rests his left hand on his knee.
- Thandawgan Ye Thyar, a messenger from King Min Gaung of Taungoo, went to the forest to pick flowers, but fell ill with malaria and died. He is shown sitting on a lotus flower.
- Shwenawrahta was the grandson of King Min Gaung II of Ava. One of his servants tried to assassinate the King of Ava, but was caught and executed. Since Shwenawrahta knew about the attack, he was also executed. He is shown seated on a simple throne with one knee raised, holding a golden ball in one hand and a golden staff in the other.
- Aungzwa Magyi (also Bo Aungzwa) was an officer of King Nara Pali Sithu of Bagan. He was killed by the king when he was disrespectful to King Nara Pali Sithu when he failed to keep his promise to marry him to one of his daughters. Aungzwa Magyi is shown seated on a throne, playing a harp and wearing a headdress and a wide sash.
- Nga zishin
- Aungpinle Hsinbyushin
- Taungmagyi
- Maung Minshin, the grandson of Alaungsithu, son of Min Shin Saw, was a master at swinging on the large, high swings. He fell off one of the swings and died.
- Shindaw was a novice monk at a Buddhist monastery in Ava and died of a snakebite. He is shown standing on a pedestal with a headdress and in a yellow monk's robe. He holds a fan in his right hand and counts the pearls on a prayer cord with his left.
- Nyaung Gyin was a descendant of King Mamuha of Thaton. He died of leprosy during the reign of King Anawrahta in Thaton. He is shown standing on a pedestal with a topknot, raising his left hand while the right is holding a staff.
- Tabinshwehti was the king who unified Burma in 1539 and established the Second Burmese Kingdom. He was the son of Mingyinyo and moved his capital from Taungoo to Pegu (now Bago). He stabilized and enlarged the new kingdom and was murdered by members of his own court in 1550.
- Minyè Aungdin was the husband of Princess Shwe Sin Tu, daughter of King Thar Sun of Ava, and died of excessive consumption of opium. He is shown sitting on a pedestal with a topknot and a harp.
- Shwe Sitpin
- Medaw Shwezaga, mother of Shwe Sitpin, died of grief over the dishonorable crimes of her son and is shown sitting on a pedestal, right hand on her chest and right hand in her lap.
- Maung Po Tu
- Yun Bayin
- Maung Minbyu
- Mandalay Bodaw was the son of a Brahmin and was executed for failing to properly supervise Shwehpyin Naungdaw and Shwehpyin Nyidaw in the exercise of their duties. He is shown standing on a pedestal with a sword on his shoulder and a raised hand.
- Shwehpyin Naungdaw
- Shwehpyin Nyidaw, son of the royal messenger Byatta, and Me Wunna, were both executed for failing to supervise the construction of the Taungbygone Pagoda (by King Anawrahta). They are depicted on a pedestal, one lying down, the other standing upright, arrogantly shouldering their swords.
- Mintha Maungshin
- Htibyusaung
- Htibyusaung Medaw
- Bayinma Shin Mingaung
- Min Sithu Alaungsithu, succeeded King Anawrahta of Bagan . After he became king of Bagan himself, he was murdered by his own son. He is shown seated on a throne in royal dress, one knee raised, one foot on the seat.
- Min Kyawzwa (also U Min Gyaw) was the son of the ruler of Pyay and Kuni Devi. He was a drunkard, loved cockfighting, and was an excellent rider. He was murdered by devils whom he had defeated in competition.
- Myaukhpet Shinma
- Anauk Mibaya
- Shingon
- Shingwa
- Shin Nemi
photos
Nat Temple Mount Popa
Nat Temple Mount Popa
Female nat
Male Nat
literature
- U Nu: Nats. In: Crossroads: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Special Burma Studies Issue) Fall 1988, pp. 1-12
- Bénédicte Brac de la Perrière: “Nats' Wives” or “Children of Nats”: From Spirit Possession to Transmission among the Ritual Specialists of the Cult of the Thirty-Seven Lords. In: Asian Ethnology, Vol. 68, No. 2 (Power, Authority, and Contested Hegemony in Burmese-Myanmar Religion) 2009, pp. 283-305
Web links
- Bernhard Peter: Nat cult in Myanmar / Burma 2004.
- Spirit of Burma 2006. Youtube Video