Midnight Washerwomen, also known as Les Lavandieres, is a part of the
Celtic lore. They are three old women who go to the edge of the river during
midnight and wash the shroud of those about to die. The three Les Lavandieres
may be derived from the old Celtic story of the three goddesses of death and
slaughter.
Who Are the
Midnight Washerwomen?
The three
women have said to turn their back away from their religious beliefs. They can
often be sighted at the isolated part of the river. The description of the
vampiric creature depends upon the location. In England, the Midnight Washerwomen
appear similar to a ghost. In France, the creature is depicted as a being
similar to a skeleton. Nonetheless, in those countries where they are believed
to exist, the Les Lavandieres is considered a harbinger of death.
What to Do If You
Encounter a Midnight Washerwoman?
If you
are traveling alone at night and happen to come across them, you must wring out
the laundry. If not, the washerwoman would turn and break your limbs and throw
you in the water. Midnight Washerwomen were also known to capture a
victim. They will make that captive wash his own burial shroud. Obeying their
every command will ensure your survival, but these three women will immediately
kill you before completing the tasks.
Accounts on Les
Lavandieres
Jacques
Cambry has told a legend of Midnight Washerwomen during the 18th
century. They are not always represented as old women, but they are often night
creatures dressed in traditional clothing. They have high physical strength and
are very agile. According to some, you should never disturb them when they are
washing their clothes. Otherwise, they will put a curse on you. There have been
different stories about this creature in Normandy and Brittany during the 19th
to 20th centuries.
The Midnight
Washerwomen are bound to wash the burial shroud of the unbaptized children.
They will be relieved from their work once they find someone willing to do it
for them.
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