Thais

Thais can be the plural of Thai. Or, in the singular it is usually a woman's name, often spelled Thaïs, a word of two syllables.

In the plural it usually refers to:

• The Thai people, the main ethnic group of Thailand
• The Thai peoples or Tai peoples, the ethnic groups of southern China and Southeast Asia

In the singular it may refer to the following:

People

Classical Greece

• Thaïs, a celebrated hetaira during the era of Alexander (356-323)
  • Thais of Athens, courtesan in the play Thais by Menander (342-291), quoted in 1 Corinthians 15:33
  • Thais of Athens, a 1972 historical novel by Ivan Efremov
  • Thaïs, an asteroid (see below)

Christian Egypt

• Thaïs (saint), repentant courtesan, who is recorded in the Vitae Patrum (Lives of the Desert Fathers) and Apophthegmata Patrum (Sayings of the Desert Fathers)
  • Thaïs (novel), an 1890 novel by Anatole France
  • Thaïs (opera), an 1894 opera by Jules Massenet
  • Thaïs, a 1911 play by Paul Wilstach, performed at the Criterion Theatre in London
  • Thais, a 1917 American film (see below).
  • Thaïs, a sculpture (see below).

Modern given name

• Thais Blatnik (1919-2015), American journalist and politician
• Thaís (born 1987), Brazilian footballer (full name Thaís Helene da Silva)

Art

Novels, Plays

• The above two novels and two plays

Films

• Thaïs (Italian film), a 1917 film directed by Anton Giulio Bragaglia
• Thais (American film), a 1917 film produced by Sam Goldwyn
• several other silent films named Thaïs of the early 20th century

Music

• "Thaïs", two songs by This Mortal Coil from the 1986 album Filigree & Shadow
• Thaïs (opera), the aforementioned opera by Massenet.

Sculpture

• Thaïs, an Art Deco sculpture by Demetre Chiparus

Science

• Thais (gastropod), a genus of gastropod mollusc
• 1236 Thaïs, a main belt asteroid

Other

• Thais, a fictional city in Tibia (first release 1997) and in Aveyond (first release 2004)

See also

• Thai (disambiguation)