lavandière de la nuit
nature_spirit earth Breton single tradition · 1
Breton washerwomen who wash graveclothes at night under moonlight and intensely dislike being disturbed, cursing those who dare. They are known to ask passers-by for help wringing clothes, breaking the arms of those who do so reluctantly and drowning those who refuse. They can be either ghosts whose names are known or anonymous supernatural beings appearing in human form, always with very pale skin as creatures of the night, often dressed in white or traditional clothing.
When
- First attested
- 1700 CE
- Attested period
- 1700 – 2000
- Historical notes
- Attested by Jacques Cambry in the 18th century; numerous folk tales collected during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Sources
wikipedia (1)
Source passages
“legends of the lavandière de la nuit were attested by Jacques Cambry as early as the 18th century...The Breton washerwomen wash graveclothes, usually at night, under the moonlight, and are notable for their intense dislike of being disturbed”
#6853 · extracted by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5