Helpful Spirits (Myanmar)

In Myanmar folklore, stories of helpful spirits are not uncommon. However, there is no distinct classification of spirits that are exclusively friendly. Much like humans, some entities have kind dispositions, while others can be malicious. Certain beings, because of their inherently menacing nature, are expected to be hostile to humans. For instance, man-eating belu fall into this category, but as described in Chapter 31 of Ghosts, Spirits and Paranormal Entities from Asian Folklore and Mythology (Book 1), there are also benign exceptions within their race.

However, phoe thu daw are universally regarded as benevolent. The term “phoe” means grandfather, while “thu daw” translates to virtuous. True to the name, phoe thu daw appear as white-bearded old men dressed in white robes. 

They were once humans who dedicated their lives to the mystic arts. Upon reaching a certain level of knowledge in magic and alchemy, they transcend their mortal state and become phoe thu daw—powerful, long-lived beings with vast supernatural wisdom.