Les Lavandières, or theMidnight Washerwomen, are three oldwasherwomen inCeltic mythology. Names in variousCeltic languages include thekannerezed noz inBrittany and theBean nighe inGaelic. They can also be found in the Celtic folklore ofIberia asLas Lavanderas inCantabria,As lavandeiras inGalicia orLes Llavanderes inAsturias, and in Portugal are known asBruxas lavadeiras[1]. The three old women go to the water's edge at midnight to wash shrouds for those about to die, according to the myth and folklore of Brittany; or to wash the bloodstained clothing of those who are about to die, according toCeltic mythology. The Midnight Washerwomen may be related to the old Celtic tradition of thetriple goddess of death and slaughter.
The washerwomen are small, dressed in green and have webbed feet. Their webbed feet may be the reason they are also sometimes called thecannard noz (meaning "night ducks") in Breton folklore.
In the nineteenth century, the belief in night washerwomen was very present inBrittany andNormandy, but it is also attested in many other regions of France:Berry,Pyrenees,Alps,Alsace,Morvan,Creuse,Burgundy andAriège.
An important number of Romantic French authors and poets wrote about the lavandières, fromGuy de Maupassant andVictor Hugo toGeorge Sand.
InBrittany, legends of thelavandière de la nuit were attested by Jacques Cambry as early as the 18th century.[1]
In Brittany, they can be an ominous portent, foretelling death, either one's own or a death in the family, though it is rare, just like they are not always represented as old women, though they always have very pale skin, being creatures of the night, and are often dressed in white or in traditional clothing. They are very agile and strong physically, even when they do not look so.
The Breton washerwomen wash graveclothes, usually at night, under the moonlight, and are notable for their intense dislike of being disturbed, cursing those who dare to do so. They are known to ask passers-by for help in wringing clothes, breaking the arms of those who do so reluctantly and drowning those who refuse. More rarely, they can also give charity.
According to the Breton legends, the washerwomen can either be ghosts whose name is known to all or else they are anonymous supernatural beings who appear in a human form. It is encountered during the year in the evening or in the middle of the night in known places (laundrette, creek), sometimes during the nights of full moon, sometimes only on the eve of the feast of the dead (All Saints' Day).[2][3]
Numerous folk tales on the subject have been collected during the 19th and 20th century. In Breton, the washerwomen are collectively known asar c’hannerezed-noz, ar c’houerezed-noz orar vaouez o welc’hin.[2][3] The late written tales we have of the Lavendières do not allow us to know with certainty if they have the same mythological origin as thebean nighe.
According to a Breton tradition, they are deceased who were buried in a dirty shroud:[4]
| Breton[5] | English |
|---|---|
Quen na zui kristen salver | Until a christian saviour comes |
InIreland, they are an ominous portent, foretelling death, either one's own or a death in the family. The washerwomen of Ireland wash the bloodied shirts of those about to die.
InScotland, if one can get between the washerwomen and the water, they are required to grant three wishes in exchange for three questions answered truthfully. There is also a tradition in Scotland of a single washer at the ford, the goddess Clotha, who gives theRiver Clyde its name.
InWales andCornwall a passerby must avoid being seen by the washerwomen. If they do get seen however, they are required to help wring out the sheets. If they twist the sheets in the same direction as the washerwomen, the individual's arms will be wrenched from their sockets and they will get pulled into the wet sheets and killed instantly. If, however, they twist in the opposite direction, the washerwomen are required to grant the person three wishes.
Ken na zui kristen salver
Red eo gwalc'hiñ ho liñsel
Dindan an erc'h hag an aer.
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