LUANG PHO THUAT WHOSE MIRACLE TURNED THE SEAWATER INTO FRESH: THE SOUTHERN THAI’S CULTURE HERO

Abstract

This article aims at examining the biology of Luang Pho Thuat whose miracle turned the seawater into fresh by applying Joseph Campbell’s concept toward the stage of a hero’s journey. The subjects of study are oral versions of sacred narratives about Luang Pho Thuat mentioned in the research entitled Mythical Legends of Luang Pho Thuat who turned the Seawater into Fresh in Southern Thailand, which has been collected from monks and local people who live in Amphoe Sathing Phra, Songkhla Province, and nearby areas - the key informants of the field research done in March 2015, then have been analyzed by Joseph Campbell’s (Campbell, 1973) concept toward the stage of a hero’s journey. 

It is found from the study that Luang Pho Thuat’s life circle follows all stages of a hero’s journey - separation, initiation, and return, as well as ten substeps from the seventeen ones. To apply Campbell’s concepts of heroic lives leads to the fact that Luang Pho Thuat cannot merely be counted as a universal hero but also a Thai-style one. Functions of this mythical legend, as a social outlet the expression of people from the downside of the society and as encouragement of the disadvantaged, are revealed in the study, as well.