The Ankou

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3 Responses

  1. Mauro says:

    Re: The Ankou
    Reminds me of another creature of legend from Eigg Island, Hebrides.
    Though not as malevolent as the Ankou a similar creature inhabits the local folklore.
    There’s a ship, the Long-theine, tasked with carrying souls to Hell. On its deck there’s a skeletal figure dressed in black playing the violin, dancing and laughing as terrible cries issue from the lower decks.
    Perhaps a more gentle relative of the Ankou?

    In Distortion We Trust

  2. Daniel Parkinson says:

    Re: The Ankou/Eigg tradition
    Hi Mauro

    Sounds like an interesting tradition, especially as it could be localised to an island, wonder if it is based on norse mythology?

  3. Mauro says:

    Re: The Ankou
    It comes from the Isle of Eigg, that’s for sure. Not so sure about its origins though: the name is Norse, but the boat as a vessel for the souls of the departed is a very common motif. To give but a couple of examples Manannan travelled around in a very similar ship to visit his realm and we all know about the longboats used as funeral pyres in the Icelandic sagas.

    In Distortion We Trust

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