Abstract

Folktales in Thailand preserve communal values while reflecting social tensions, yet their gendered dynamics and ecological symbolism remain underexplored. This article examines the Thai folktale Pla Boo Thong (The Golden Goby) through an ecofeminist lens, addressing the gap in scholarship on how Southeast Asian oral traditions critique patriarchal institutions. Drawing on the poetic version Pla Boo Thong Klon Suad, the study employs ecofeminist close reading to investigate the tale’s representations of violence, absent fatherhood, and maternal resilience. The theoretical framework integrates key ecofeminist concepts—women–nature interdependence, patriarchal dualisms, sacred ecology, and maternal agency through reincarnation—together with sociological studies on absent fathers and domestic violence. Findings show that Pla Boo Thong constructs violence as systemic within polygamous households, critiques male passivity and failure to protect, and reimagines justice through maternal reincarnations in nature (golden goby, eggplant tree, Bodhi tree). These symbols highlight how natural and spiritual forms function as active agents of justice, offering female-centered alternatives to failed patriarchal authority. Unlike Western “Cinderella-type” narratives resolved by male intervention, this folktale positions nature and spirituality as culturally embedded sources of healing and balance. The article contributes to global ecofeminist discourse by foregrounding how Thai folklore encodes resistance, resilience, and non-patriarchal visions of authority rooted in sacred ecology and maternal continuity.