Naree Pon

Many cultures believe in creatures that seem to be only possible in a myth. Like the Chupacabra in Puerto Rico, the Naree Pon in Thailand is a legend that has been gaining a lot of credibility. The Naree Pon are creatures that are half plant and half animal; they are said to have a small feminine form which makes it easy for them to blend in with the vegetation that surrounds them in the forests of Thailand. The reason they are becoming so credible is because a Thai temple believes to have two of these creatures of which they place on display.

One legend I came across says that the Naree Pon are believed to have been beautiful women that appeared to Buddah as he meditated near a tree. They tried to entice Buddah away from his transcendental state with their charms but when the night came, they would curl back up into a tree to blend in. (nature-phenomena.blogspot.com) Another legend claims that the God Indra created a magical forest as a safe place for a prince and his family to live. In the forest, Indra planted 16 magical NareePon trees for two reasons. The first was to catch anyone who misbehaved and could not control their sexual lust. They would be tempted to make love to the Naree Pon and then immediately fall into a coma. The second reason was to protect the wife of the prince so she would not be bothered by those who misbehaved. (http://kohchangsun.com/2011/03/nari-pon-mystery/)

In the SyFy show, Destination Truth, the team travels to Thailand to investigate these creatures. They arrive at the Thai temple and take photos of these small "Naree Pon" to take back to Los Angeles. When investigating, they travel to different villages and talk to people who truly believe they have seen Naree Pon. In another remote village, a few of the villagers are believed to have been taken by these creatures. The people of the villages are so convinced that they are real that they even tell the team to purchase a certain type of fruit to lure the creatures out of hiding. Although there was no luck in finding them in Thailand, they brought the photos of the Naree Pon from the temple back to LA. The team consulted with a mammologist who believed he was looking at a mummified fetus with plant like features. Without any physical specimens, he can not say for sure, so the Naree Pon will remain a mystery.

Sources: http://www.syfy.com/destinationtruth/episodes

Video of Naree Pon- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqySWUSJV4Y