Thursday 27 March 2008

L'Ankou


The strangest thing happened to me this afternoon: I went with my wife and in-laws in a little village called La Gacilly and I was buying some postcards in one of the many little shops they have, and I asked the shop owner if he had any literature about l'Ankou the messenger of death in Breton folklore. The guy said he didn't know what I was talking about, so I started explaining what l'Ankou was to him, and he seemed slightly worried, and said he didn't sell anything about death, devils, Satan or witches. He also mentionned a shop called L'Oeil de Breizh where I could find "the thing you are looking for". He also said that mentioning "that" was like mentioning Voldemort. So I think I genuinly scared somebody who believe in some of the old legends, and who thinks that it is bad omen to talk of Death openly or to seek it.
I went to L'Oeil with my wife and my sister-in-law and her boyfriend, and it's a real treat (for me that is, for them it's a bore): I was a kid in a candy store. I bought a book about Breton legends of death (!) and there are many more books to buy when I get back there. The owner was really chatty and I managed to bargain the price of the book. I learned a few things: a witch at the door is good against evil eye and evil spirits. So next time I will buy a witch (VeggieCarrie won't like it) and I will put it at the door of the flat. If my wife allows me, that is.

2 comments:

PJ said...

Maudit chanceux. Maintenant, fouille-donc les librairies de livres d'occasion, voire si on peut y trouver De monts en merveilles.

Et le mot de verification au hasard, pour ce commentaire, est "mabpaid". J'imagine que tu connais la reine Mab. Est-ce un coincidence, ou est-ce que la reine Mab a paye ton libraire supersticieux?...

Guillaume said...

Spooky pour Mab... La boutique que j'ai visitee etait une specialisee en folklore breton, difficile de savoir si des contes moldaves seront accessibles, mais le proprio semble assez capable de trouver des raretes. Je lui demanderai.