The
original photo was taken by Naval Special Warfare
Center Public Affairs Officer DeeDee Van Wormer, and
was first featured in the Coronado Eagle, a small
local paper, and then in the April 1997 issue of All
Hands, a US Navy-owned publication.
How and when the photo first appeared in Thailand
is a mystery equal to that of the mythical Naga which
is supposedly represented in the photograph. The Naga,
an underwater creature from Hindu and Buddhist mythology,
is superior to humans, and is keeper of the life-giving
energy that is inherent in fresh water. The claim
that the photo was taken in Laos probably stems from
the ancient belief that the King of Nagas reigns in
an underwater kingdom called Muang Badan. Muang Badan
was believed to exist deep beneath the Mekhong River,
with its capital city lying below Nong Khai Province.
Nong Khai is a common place to find copies of the
photograph and is a likely place for the origin of
the Thai version of the photo. Famous for the annual
fireball displays which occur on the full moon night
of the 11th month of the lunar year, Nong Khai hosts
tens of thousands of visitors who travel there to
witness the breathtaking event. Called the "Bung Fai
Phya Nak", the Naga Fireballs, this seemingly natural
phenomenon has been anecdotally ascribed to the Naga
king paying tribute to the Lord Buddha in commemoration
of the end of Buddhist Lent. It seems credible that
the local legends of the Naga, the fireball phenomenon,
and the pilgrimage of thousands of sightseers were
fertile conditions for an enterprising individual
to reinvent the photo of the oarfish as a part of
local folklore.
When I asked one vendor about the story behind the
photo she explained that the caption was indeed true
and that all of the soldiers had died after eating
the meat of the fish. Interestingly, this story has
elements of both fable and fact behind it. The Thai-Isaan
folk epic Phadaeng Nang Ai, which recounts the creation
of the Mekhong River, describes the consumption of
the Naga Prince Phangkhi by the people of Phaphong
City and the killing by the Naga King of all those
who ate his son. Coincidentally perhaps, the SEALs
were challenged by Walker to try eating some of the
fish. He had sampled one on a previous occasion and
had said that the meat, when cooked, tasted like paper.
Whether he or the SEALs had knowledge of the legend
is unknown. Regardless, the SEALs declined his offer.
Even a government agency may have drawn a connection
between the legend of the Naga and the photograph
of the oarfish. On its website, which provides information
about the Naga fireballs, the agency recounts the
story of the 23-foot Phra Ya Nak - "The biggest freshwater
fish captured in the Mekhong". According to the site,
the Naga was captured alive by US military personnel
on September 28, 1996 and subsequently sent to the
US for examination. The fish supposedly died the following
month. It seems quite likely that this is a reference
to the incident that occurred that very month in California;
the only difference between the two, other than location,
is a quote from unknown sources claiming the creature
had "seven skin colors and light green blood".
Even in the West the oarfish has been mistaken for
the incarnation of mythical creatures. In fact, historical
reports of a 56-foot serpent-like fish found on the
shores of Scotland, believed now to have been an oarfish,
may have spawned the legend of the Loch Ness monster.
Early accounts of sea serpents in the Atlantic Ocean
are also thought to have been rare encounters with
giant oarfish. That being said, the Naga may well
be real, but like the Loch Ness monster, it just hasn't
been verifiably photographed yet.
Contributor's disclaimer: In a request by Andy Z.
he asked to remain anonymous and unidentified in the
photo. I also wish to make it clear that I am in no
way attempting to disprove the existence of the Naga
or the challenge the authenticity of the Bung Fai
Phya Nak.
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