Long ago, when the earth was young and the Mekong River still whispered secrets to the mountains, the people of Laos lived in great abundance. The land was rich, the air was sweet, and the rice fields shone like gold beneath the sun. In those ancient days, rice grew in miraculous abundance. Each stalk bent under the weight of golden grains as large as a man’s thumb, so heavy and full that farmers needed no tools to harvest them. All they had to do was gather the grains by hand, and their granaries overflowed year after year.
This was the time of Mae Posop, the Rice Goddess, the gentle mother of sustenance and life. Her spirit dwelled within every grain, blessing the people with prosperity and health. Villagers would offer flowers, incense, and prayers before every harvest, thanking her for her kindness. In return, she ensured that no one went hungry, and every meal was a feast of warmth and harmony.
But as generations passed, gratitude faded from human hearts. The people, proud of their wealth, began to forget the spirit who nourished them. They threw rice on the ground without care, stepped on fallen grains, and mocked the old traditions of worship. The songs of thanks to Mae Posop were no longer sung. The farmers began to boast, “It is our hands that feed us, not the goddess. Why should we bow to the wind?”
Mae Posop watched in sorrow as the people’s reverence turned to arrogance. One evening, she descended from the heavens in the form of an old woman dressed in plain robes. She walked through the rice fields and visited the villages, hoping to remind the people of gratitude. But everywhere she went, they laughed at her. Children threw pebbles and called her foolish; the rich men turned away in scorn.
In one house, Mae Posop asked for a single bowl of rice. The woman of the house sneered, “Why should I share with a beggar when the fields are full?” and slammed the door in her face. In that moment, the goddess realized that the people’s hearts had turned to stone. She looked upon the golden fields one last time and wept.
Her tears fell upon the rice, and the earth trembled softly. When the sun rose the next morning, the villagers found that their golden stalks had turned pale and thin. The grains that once filled their baskets now fit into a single palm. Rice was no longer as plentiful or as large as before it became small, hard, and hidden within husks that required labor to remove.
From that day on, Mae Posop withdrew her divine presence from the fields. She told the wind, “Let humans remember humility through their work. Let each grain remind them that food is sacred.” Then she vanished into the heavens, leaving behind only her blessings for those who still showed respect.
Seasons changed, and the villagers soon learned the weight of their mistake. Famine came, and people suffered from hunger. The once-carefree farmers now toiled under the hot sun to gather what little rice they could. Slowly, they began to remember the old prayers and songs of gratitude. Each year, before planting and after harvest, they offered the first rice grains to Mae Posop, placing them on banana leaves with candles and flowers.
The goddess, though unseen, watched from the skies and smiled softly. She forgave their foolishness, for she knew that gratitude can return even to the most forgetful hearts. From then on, the people of Laos taught their children never to waste rice, never to step on fallen grains, and always to give thanks before a meal.
Even today, Lao farmers begin each harvest by praying to Mae Posop. They believe her spirit lives in every grain and that her blessing ensures abundance. When a gust of wind ripples through the rice fields, they say it is the Rice Mother passing by, checking whether her children remember her. And when families sit together to eat, they whisper words of thanks for they know that every grain carries the kindness of the goddess herself.
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Moral Lesson
The Golden Rice Ear teaches that gratitude and respect for nature are the roots of true abundance. When humans honor the gifts of the earth and remember the divine spirit behind their blessings, they live in harmony. But pride and carelessness bring hardship and loss. Every meal is sacred, and every grain of rice carries the blessing of Mae Posop, the Mother of Life.
Knowledge Check
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Who is Mae Posop in the story?
She is the Rice Goddess, the divine mother who provides food and abundance to humankind. -
How did rice appear in ancient times according to the tale?
Rice grew in golden abundance, with large grains that were easy to harvest. -
Why did Mae Posop withdraw her blessings?
Because people became ungrateful and careless, mocking the goddess and wasting her gifts. -
What change did Mae Posop bring to teach humans a lesson?
She made rice smaller, harder to harvest, and less abundant, reminding people to respect their food. -
How did the people show their repentance and gratitude afterward?
They offered prayers, flowers, and rice to Mae Posop before every planting and harvest season. -
What message does the story give about gratitude and nature?
That respect for nature and thankfulness for divine blessings ensure prosperity and harmony, while arrogance brings loss.
Source
Adapted from the Lao folktale Mae Posop and the Golden Rice, recorded in Folk Tales of Laos by Sisouphan Amphonevilay (1983), Luang Prabang Oral Story Collection.
Cultural Origin
Laos (Agrarian Lao-Buddhist folklore and spiritual agricultural traditions)
