Breton mythology
Encyclopedia
Breton mythology is the mythology
or corpus of explanatory and herioc tales originating in Brittany
, now in France
. Bretons were a subset of Celtic people that adopted Christianity
. Celtic tradition predominates their mythology:
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
or corpus of explanatory and herioc tales originating in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, now in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Bretons were a subset of Celtic people that adopted Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Celtic tradition predominates their mythology:
- AnkouAnkouAnkou is a personification of death in Breton mythology as well as in Cornish and Norman French folklore.Ankou is also known as "Aräwn".-Background:This character is reported by Anatole Le Braz, writer and legends collector of the 19th century...
- Bugul NozBugul NozIn Breton beliefs, the Bugul Noz is a fairy spirit who lives in the woodlands of Brittany. He is the last of his kind and is said to be incredibly ugly, a fact which causes him distress. His appearance is so awful that even woodland animals avoid him, and he sometimes cries out to warn humans of...
- KorriganKorriganIn Breton folklore, a Korrigan is a fairy or dwarf-like spirit. The word means "small-dwarf". Their name change according to the place...
- Annard NozLes LavandièresFrom Celtic mythology, Les Lavandières, also known as the cannard noz in Brittany, the Bean Nighe , or the Midnight Washerwomen in English, are three old washerwomen...
- MorgensMorgensMorgens, Morgans or Mari-Morgans are Welsh and Breton water spirits that drown men. They may lure men to their death by their own sylphic beauty, or with glimpses of underwater gardens with buildings of gold or crystal. They are also blamed for heavy flooding that destroys crops or villages...
- Morvan, legendary chief of Léon http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/lrb/lrb11.htm
- YsYsYs , also spelled Is or Kêr-Is in Breton, and Ker-Ys in French , is a mythical city that was built on the coast of Brittany and later swallowed by the ocean...