The Ankou is a mythological figure that appears in the mythology of the British Isles as a figure in charge of collecting the souls of the recently deceased. Its name in the original Breton is Ankoú, in Cornwall it is known as Ankow and in Wales as Anghau.
Decription[]
The Ankou is always a dark man who appears at night. Its appearance can be that of a shadow, a skeleton or a ghost; but he always wears a black robe or coat and a hood or hat to cover his face; Well, just seeing it is a death sentence. On very special occasions his eyes are said to glow like burning coals, but this only happens if the Ankou has made the mistake of reaping the soul of a good man. In this case, an angel appears and tears out Ankou's eyes; making their work difficult.
In his hand he carries a scythe with a handle made of human bones, and drives a wheelbarrow or carriage; the latter being pulled either by two horses (one old and thin, the other young and strong) or four black horses of demonic appearance. It is always accompanied by a strong cold air, and there is not a soul on earth that leaves the safety of its home once the cold air that precedes Ankou begins to blow at night or the squeak of the wheel is heard. wheelbarrow in the distance. Hearing a knock on the door at night means that someone in the family will die before the end of the year. If a man or woman had the misfortune to discover a red mark on the outside of their door, it meant that someone in that home was going to die; and the neighbors immediately cut off relations with the condemned inhabitants of the house for fear of bad luck or the spread of a disease. The Ankou is unforgiving and does not distinguish between men, women and children under the notion that "there is always room for one more body" in its carriage. It is said that he sometimes appears in the dreams of people who are about to die, giving them terrible visions in which a man in black always appears driving a carriage. On some occasions, the Ankou appears in dreams to provide an ominous warning to the person, such as not leaving the house that day or avoiding taking a trip.
Trivia[]
- The legend specifies that the Ankou is not exactly a deity, similar to other personifications of death in most cultures; In reality, an Ankou is linked to a parish or church, and is the last parishioner to die during the period of a year.
- The deceased person must ultimately take on the role of calling and collecting the dead from that parish; and takes the form of a tall, lanky specter with long white hair; although other variations of the myth present him as a skeleton with three hundred and sixty degree vision that allows him to see everything.
- The method of collecting souls is similar to that of La Santa Compaña of Spain, since the Ankou drives a cart and stops in front of the house of someone who is about to die; then knock on the door or simply make a moan of pain similar to that of the Banshee.
- It is also said that the Ankou can actually enter the house or that he is accompanied by two spectral followers who help him load and place the souls in his cart.