Shwe Nabay
Shwenabay, also known as Shwe Nabe Nat or Naga Medaw, is one of the 37 official nats in the Burmese pantheon of spirits. According to popular beliefs, she was a beautiful woman from Mindon City, located west of Sarat City, who married a Naga spirit. One account states that after consummating her marriage with the Naga, she died of a heart attack. Another version claims that she died of a broken heart after her husband deserted her.
Some stories describe her as the wife of Maung Tint De, the king of the house of Panbe. They had two sons: North King Shin Phyu and Taung [Maung Shin Nyo]. It is said that when she heard news that Maung Tint De was killed by King Tagaung, she became a nat.
In a different version of the tale, Shwe Napae is described as a naga herself, who ran together with her brother Tintala. She laid two eggs and died shortly afterward. Another variant claims she died spontaneously after having sexual relations with a forest youth, who then fled the scene.
The image of the deity is typically portrayed standing on a lotus seat, wearing a Naga headdress, with her right hand on her chest and her left hand by her side. Some iconography includes a dragon's head on her headdress, a serpentine neck, and a thorned tail.
Shwe Nabe Nat has been venerated in Mindon since the Sri Kshetra era. Her shrine is located at Popa Taung, a key spiritual site in central Myanmar.