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Phaya Khankhak close and centred, fierce but adorable, tiny golden crown, raising his golden staff, lightning and storm clouds behind him, his small army silhouetted.

Isan Legend · 2 min read

Phaya Khankhak

พญาคันคาก

The sky god locked away the rain for seven years, seven months and seven days. The one who marched up to take it back was a little golden toad — with an army of termites, scorpions and hornets.

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Epic chibi battle march: Phaya Khankhak with a tiny golden crown and a little golden staff, riding at the front of an army of small creatures — termites, scorpions, centipedes and hornets — climbing a towering termite mound that rises into the stormy clouds toward a golden sky palace, lightning flashing, heroic and funny.

Chapter

The Toad Who Fought the Sky

Seven years without a single drop of rain. So a tiny king put on his crown, gathered the smallest creatures on earth… and marched into the sky.

A terrible drought: cracked dry rice fields under a blazing sun, a dried-up riverbed, thirsty buffalo, wilted sugar palms, tired villagers in simple old Isan clothes looking up at an empty sky; no main characters.

He was a toad. And this is the legend behind Thailand’s loudest festival.

Inside an old Isan royal hall: a kind queen in traditional dress holding a newborn baby golden toad in silk cloth, the king and courtiers leaning in, astonished; warm lamplight.

Chapter

A Golden Toad

Long ago, in the northeast of what is now Thailand, a queen gave birth to a son. He was a golden toad.

By a lotus pond: young Phaya Khankhak sitting alone on a lily pad looking a little sad, while small animals — a frog, a bird, a turtle — gather around him as friends, gentle sunset.

People laughed at the little prince. But Khankhak was wise and kind, and every creature that met him loved him.

In the sky above the rice fields: the god Phra In, a radiant green-skinned Thai god with a tall golden crown, riding the white three-headed elephant Erawan on the clouds, gesturing kindly toward a shining golden palace appearing for Phaya Khankhak, who looks up amazed.

The god Phra In saw his good heart, and rewarded him with a heavenly palace — and a beautiful wife, Udon Khurunari.

A shining golden palace hall: Phaya Khankhak on a small throne beside his beautiful wife Udon Khurunari, with villagers and animals bowing and bringing gifts of rice, flowers and fruit, joyful.

From every village and every forest, people and animals came to honour the Toad King, Phaya Khankhak.

A grand golden cloud palace in the sky: Phaya Thaen on his throne looking down through a gap in the clouds at the people honouring the toad king far below, frowning with jealousy, his offering hall empty.

Chapter

The Jealous Sky

But high above the clouds, the sky god Phaya Thaen was watching. No one brought offerings to him any more. And he grew jealous.

The sky kingdom: Phaya Thaen, angry, waving his hand to shut huge stone rain gates in the clouds and lock away the rain jars, storm clouds draining of water, dramatic.

So he locked away the rain. For seven years. Seven months. And seven days.

The rice fields cracked. The rivers dried. People and animals grew weak with thirst.

A sky battle: Phaya Naga rising from the earth to attack the cloud palace, but Phaya Thaen's sky soldiers and lightning drive the great serpent back, the naga falling through the clouds; dramatic but not gory.

The mighty Naga King rose to attack the sky — and was thrown back down. Who could possibly fight a god?

A dry riverbed: thirsty animals — buffalo, elephants, birds, frogs, snakes — gathered before Phaya Khankhak, begging for help; the sun is harsh; Phaya Khankhak raising his staff with determination.

The creatures of the earth came to the Toad King, begging for help. And the little king said: we will go to the sky ourselves.

A war council at night by a campfire: Phaya Khankhak standing on a rock giving a brave speech to an army of termites, scorpions, centipedes, hornets and frogs, with Phaya Naga coiled behind him as an ally; firelight, inspiring.

Chapter

The Tiny Army

He raised an army no god would take seriously: termites, scorpions, centipedes and hornets. And the Naga King joined him.

Thousands of cute termites building an enormous winding termite mound that climbs up through the clouds like a road to the sky, Phaya Khankhak cheering at the bottom; sunrise.

First, the termites built a mound — higher, and higher — until it reached the clouds. A road to the sky.

Night in the sky palace armory: cute termites secretly gnawing through the wooden handles of rows of swords and spears, moonlight, sneaky and funny.

Then, in the night, they crept into the sky god’s armoury and quietly chewed through every sword handle.

Comic battle in the sky palace: sky soldiers swinging swords whose handles snap, hornets chasing them, scorpions and centipedes nipping at their feet, soldiers fleeing in all directions; Phaya Khankhak charging in the middle; funny, no blood.

When the battle began, the sky soldiers drew their swords — and the handles snapped. The hornets stung, the scorpions pinched, the centipedes bit. The sky army fled.

The sky palace throne room: Phaya Thaen kneeling with dignity before the small Phaya Khankhak, raising an open hand in promise; the toad king's army watching; storm clouds clearing behind them.

And the great Phaya Thaen knelt before a toad. He made a promise. Whenever the people fire rockets into the sky, he will send the rain. When the frogs croak, the rain is on its way. And when kites dance in the wind, the rains may end.

The rain returns: heavy warm rain pouring over green rice fields, villagers and children dancing and laughing in the rain, frogs croaking happily on the dikes, buffalo splashing, joyful.

Chapter

The Promise

And the rain came pouring down on the cracked fields. The rice turned green again.

Present-day Bun Bang Fai rocket festival in Yasothon, northeast Thailand: huge homemade bamboo rockets launching into the blue sky with long white smoke trails, crowds of present-day people in colourful shirts cheering, decorated naga-shaped rocket floats.

Chapter

Bun Bang Fai Today

Today, every May, before the rice is planted, northeast Thailand and Laos hold Bun Bang Fai — the rocket festival. Villagers build huge homemade rockets and fire them high into the sky — to remind Phaya Thaen of his promise.

Present-day Yasothon: the Phaya Khankhak Museum, a giant building shaped like a huge friendly toad sitting in a park, present-day visitors taking photos in front of it, sunny.

In Yasothon, there is even a museum shaped like a giant toad — in honour of the little king.

Present-day Isan countryside: children flying colourful kites over green rice fields in a windy evening sky, and small frogs croaking on the field dikes in the foreground, peaceful.

And when the frogs begin to croak in the fields, farmers still smile. The rain is coming.

Never underestimate the small ones.