Local legend and lingerie: Thais honour island goddess with bra offerings

Worshippers thank spirit on Young Women’s Breasts Island with bras after wishes come true

Petch Petpailin15 hours agoLast Updated: Friday, June 6, 2025

355 2 minutes read

Local legend and lingerie: Thais honour island goddess with bra offerings — Photo by ชำนาญ พึ่งเจาะ via Facebook/ ผึ้งสัญจร

A group of Thai people fulfilled their vows to a goddess on Koh Nom Sao, the colloquial term roughly translating to Young Women’s Breasts Island, in the southern province of Prachuap Khiri Khan by offering bras.

Sumate Charoensuk, President of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) committee of Sam Roi Yot Sub-district, shared details of the unique offerings with several news agencies on June 4. He explained that locals presented various types of bras to the goddess on Koh Nom Sao after their wishes were granted.

According to Sumate, the divinity of the goddess is well known among both locals and domestic tourists who visit the Sam Roi Yot district. Travellers typically take a ten-minute boat trip to the island, located approximately one kilometre from the mainland, to make a wish.

Once their wishes are fulfilled, they return to the island bearing bras as offerings to the goddess. Most wishes are related to success in romantic relationships.

Sumate said the belief in the goddess originated from a local legend about the formation of the islands in the area.

Offer bras to goddess on Prachup Kiri Khan Island — Photo by ชำนาญ พึ่งเจาะ via Facebook/ ผึ้งสัญจร

The story tells of a family with a beautiful daughter named Yomdoy. Her father wished for her to marry a Chinese ruler, while her mother preferred she marry the son of a ruler from Phetchaburi province. The conflict enraged her father, who tore Yomdoy’s body in half.

He then threw each half of her body into the sea. One of her breasts became Koh Nom Sao in Prachuap Khiri Khan, while the other became Koh Nom Sao in Chanthaburi province.

Thank young women breasts island goddess with bras — Photo by ชำนาญ พึ่งเจาะ via Facebook/ ผึ้งสัญจร

Around 80 years ago, local fishermen took shelter on Koh Nom Sao in Prachuap Khiri Khan during a storm. They witnessed a mysterious spark rising from the island into the air and believed it was the spirit of a protective entity safeguarding them from the severe weather.

The fishermen later invited a spiritual medium to investigate. The medium confirmed the presence of the spirit of the Nom Sao goddess, prompting locals to construct a shrine in her honour.

Koh Nom Sao shrine — Photo by ชำนาญ พึ่งเจาะ via Facebook/ ผึ้งสัญจร

Sumate revealed that he and other relevant official departments planned to donate all the bras offered to the goddess to those in need. He also encouraged both Thai and foreign tourists to visit the island, which is home not only to the revered goddess but also to stunning natural beauty and excellent diving spots.

Koh Nom Sao — Photo via Facebook/ ประจวบฯ เช็คอิน กิน เที่ยว

Petch Petpailin

Petpailin, or Petch, is a Thai translator and writer for The Thaiger who focuses on translating breakingThai news stories into English. With a background in field journalism, Petch brings several years of experience to the English News desk at The Thaiger. Before joining The Thaiger, Petch worked as a content writer for several known blogging sites in Bangkok, including Happio and The Smart Local. Her articles have been syndicated by many big publishers in Thailand and internationally, including the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Bangkok Post. She is a news writer who stops reading news on the weekends to spend more time cafe hopping and petting dwarf shrimp! But during office hours, you can find Petch on LinkedIn and you can reach her by email at petch@thethaiger.com.