Ankou's Profile at Vampire Rave.

How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness, how the time has flown. How did it get so late so soon?

Written by: Dr. Seuss

The hands of time keep flashing before our eyes.

How the hell did we miss that?

Blinded by reality, maybe.

Ankou

In the Celtic mythology of Brittany, the figure of Ankou is associated with death. Tall and wearing a long dark coat, a wide-brimmed hat, and carrying a scythe over his shoulder. The skeletal Ankou is a collector of the souls of the dead. Ankou is sometimes said to have two skeleton helpers who assist in loading the souls of the dead into a rickety cart drawn by black horses. He is also known as the graveyard watcher,& It is said that he protects the graveyard and the souls around it for some unknown reason.

One legend hinted that Ankou had once been a cruel landowner who foolishly challenged Death to a game of chance. A Prince, prone to fits of jealous anger and petty viciousness, loved to hunt. The moment of death, like the pain of his fellows, was as mother’s milk to him. One night, on the Sabbath, the man decided to have some sport in his forest. While chasing a white stag, a magical animal featured in several Celtic Fairy stories, the man and his then-drunk companions stumbled across a massive figure draped in black, sitting atop a magnificent white horse.
(Another symbol of Death)

The Prince challenged the silent man to a contest, angry at having found him on his land. Whoever could kill the stag would not only keep the meat and hide but could also determine the loser's fate. The stranger readily agreed, his voice reminding the assembled men of the sound of leaves scraping against the castle walls.

The hunt was over so quickly that the Prince could only stammer. As hard as he had ridden, the stranger had galloped faster. Through field and stream and mountain, the dark stranger remained in the lead, night winds tugging wildly at his cloak. And when the Prince was still stringing his bow, the stranger let his arrow loose with a dead whistle and a sickening tear of shredding flesh.

The vindictive Prince ordered his men to surround the stranger, bragging he would bring back two trophies to his hall that night.

The stranger laughed.

“You can have the stag,” he said, “and all the dead of the world. Is your joy hunting? Hunt then! Your trophies will be found across battlefields and earth and reek of decay, huntsman.”

The Washer At The Ford

Breton folklore links the Celtic regions, Ireland, and Scotland, and refers to a specific female figure associated with death. This figure, usually seen as a young weeping female or an old, ugly woman, was an omen of death. When coming across this woman washing bloodstained clothes in a river ford, it indicates the imminent demise of the person whose clothes were being washed. In some of these regions, people believe Morrígan is closely associated with this story of the washerwoman.

Morrígan is the powerful goddess of War and Death, a shapeshifter, a Triple Goddess, and the Goddess of Fate. Ravens and Crows are associated with her, representing her during times of danger and chaos. She is the powerful and Wise goddess of transformation and change,

Coven

Mentor Of The Ether

moon phase

The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory