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The Ankou is the harbinger of death of the Breton Mythology and folklore, known in the French region of Brittany, the remnants of the former eponymous kingdom, and some other regions of Celtic legacy. He is regarded as a protector for the deceased but a bad omen for the living. He has inspired many modern-day works and stories.
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“Maro han barn ifern ien, Pa ho soign den e tle crena. “ (Breton for: "Death, judgment, cold hell; when man thinks about it he ought to shiver.") What the Ankou is rumoured to say to passers-by
“War ma fé, eman zo un Ankou drouk. ("On my faith, this Ankou is a very nasty one.") Breton saying about a year with more deaths than usual
In the beginning, the Ankou was described as a being tasked to perpetuate the cycle of life and death, wielding a hammer able to grant both, being similar to Suscellus, Gaul God of Nature, Life and Death; Dagda, Irish God of Druids and the Land of the Deads; and other Celtic deities with similar attributes. But as centuries went by, the Ankou became solely associated with Death and was progressively likened to a Grim Reaper like psychopomp.
The Ankou appears in many tales gathered from oral tradition. As such his description does not always correspond from one tale to another. He is always described as a tall and thin figure clad in black Breton garments, sometimes with glowing eyes, wearing a large felt hat concealing his face, standing up in a creaking cart similar to the ones used during the Middle-Age to gather corpses, in which he gathers the souls of the deads, and wielding a scythe whose blade is turned outward for striking forward instead of reaping, which glows under the moonlight.
He is sometimes depicted as a man-shaped living shadow, sometimes as a skeleton whose head is rotating without end like a weather vane, so that no death could escape his watch. However, his most common depiction is that of a tall and skinny ageless man, with long white hair, and a gaunt, haggard face, wearing a black cloak or cape. His cart is said to be drawn by two horses, one in perfect health and the other skinny and ill-looking, although some speak of four horses, and others speak of just one gaunt-looking one. The Ankou is also said to be followed by two ghostly figures who walk next to his cart, leading his horses and helping him carry the dead souls in.
The Ankou only walks the roads of Brittany during night-time. He rules over the other side of the Veil and the deads, whom he allegedly leads in sacred processions at times. Despite this, he is more Death's foot-worker than Death itself; being usually an undead who must protect the souls of the deads and lead them to the Afterlife for a defined amount of time, before reaching Afterlife in his turn. It is said that there are more than one Ankou, one for each parish. Although the Ankou is always described as an adult man, the role is fulfilled by the last dead person of the year (sometimes by the first) who must watch over his parish until he is replaced. Another less common source states that the Ankou was a tyrannical prince during his lifetime, who lost a challenge issued by Death and was condemned to an eternity of servitude.