COMMENTARY
The goddess and the fortune teller walk into a bar
There are seven Songkran Goddesses. Each year they take turns to visit us mortals on Earth, according to the day Songkran falls on. This year Songkran falls on a Thursday, so it's the turn of Goddess Keerinee, whose name means ''female elephant''.
Goddess Keerinee comes riding in on an elephant, holding a hook in one hand and brandishing a gun in the other. The depiction of the gun has evolved over the years _ 200 years ago, she may have wielded a musket, while today her trigger finger might be set to fire an automatic assault rifle.
The meaning of the gun is open to interpretation, and has sent the more superstitious elements in Thai society into a panic. There is much discussion on web boards and in coffee shops about how the gun could portend bloodshed, especially given the political situation, the social divisions and the upcoming general election, for which experts are already predicting violence and upheaval.
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About the author
- Writer: Voranai Vanijaka
- Position: Political and Social Commentator
