Yan-gant-y-tan
Encyclopedia
Yan-gant-y-tan is the name of a demon
from Brittany
.Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah. Occultism: Its Theory and Practice, p. 160 (1994)(4 July 1857). Superstitions and Traditions, Household Words
Colin de Plancy, in the Dictionnaire Infernal
, gives the meaning of his name as 'Wanderer in the Night', but the translation of his name from Breton
seems to be cognate to 'John with the Fire' (compare Will o' the Wisp
).MacCulloch, Edgar. Guernsey folk lore, p. 226 (1903) Meeting him is said to be an evil omen.Miltoun, Francis. Dictionnaire infernal, p. 537 (1853 edition)Rambles in Brittany, p 63-64 (1905)
Yan-gant-y-tan wanders the nights in Finistère
. He holds five candles on the five fingers of his right hand (compare Hand of Glory
) and spins them about like a flaming wheel, as a result of which he is unable to turn quickly for fear of extinguishing their light.
A sure way to ward off the bad omen of Yan-gant-y-tan is to leave a small bag of gold or of gold chain around a travelers post which Yan-gant-y-tan will steal and leave your house for another day.
He is often depicted as a wiry old troll
or hairy wildman
, but the only way to distinguish him from other such creatures of course is the 5 candles upon his great hand.
In contrast to his nature as a bad omen it is said that should your lantern run out of light, on a whim, he may appear and give five candles to a person who has none, thus lighting the way for a traveller the rest of the night.
Often he was spotted on road sides and in poorly beaten forest paths.
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
from 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...
.Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah. Occultism: Its Theory and Practice, p. 160 (1994)(4 July 1857). Superstitions and Traditions, Household Words
Household Words
Household Words was an English weekly magazine edited by Charles Dickens in the 1850s which took its name from the line from Shakespeare "Familiar in his mouth as household words" — Henry V.-History:...
Colin de Plancy, in the Dictionnaire Infernal
Dictionnaire Infernal
The Dictionnaire Infernal is a book on demonology, organised in hellish hierarchies. It was written by Jacques Auguste Simon Collin de Plancy and first published in 1818. There were several editions of the book, but perhaps the most famous is the edition of 1863, in which sixty-nine illustrations...
, gives the meaning of his name as 'Wanderer in the Night', but the translation of his name from Breton
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
seems to be cognate to 'John with the Fire' (compare Will o' the Wisp
Will o' the wisp
A will-o'-the-wisp or ignis fatuus , also called a "will-o'-wisp", "jack-o'-lantern" , "hinkypunk", "corpse candle", "ghost-light", "spook-light", "fairy light", "friar's lantern", "hobby lantern", "ghost orb", or simply "wisp", is a ghostly light or lights sometimes seen at night or twilight over...
).MacCulloch, Edgar. Guernsey folk lore, p. 226 (1903) Meeting him is said to be an evil omen.Miltoun, Francis. Dictionnaire infernal, p. 537 (1853 edition)Rambles in Brittany, p 63-64 (1905)
Yan-gant-y-tan wanders the nights in Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
. He holds five candles on the five fingers of his right hand (compare Hand of Glory
Hand of Glory
The Hand of Glory is the dried and pickled hand of a man who has been hanged, often specified as being the left hand, or else, if the man were hanged for murder, the hand that "did the deed."...
) and spins them about like a flaming wheel, as a result of which he is unable to turn quickly for fear of extinguishing their light.
A sure way to ward off the bad omen of Yan-gant-y-tan is to leave a small bag of gold or of gold chain around a travelers post which Yan-gant-y-tan will steal and leave your house for another day.
He is often depicted as a wiry old troll
Troll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
or hairy wildman
Woodwose
The wild man is a mythical figure that appears in the artwork and literature of medieval Europe, comparable to the satyr or faun type in classical mythology and to Silvanus, the Roman god of the woodlands.The defining characteristic of the figure is its "wildness"; from the 12th century...
, but the only way to distinguish him from other such creatures of course is the 5 candles upon his great hand.
In contrast to his nature as a bad omen it is said that should your lantern run out of light, on a whim, he may appear and give five candles to a person who has none, thus lighting the way for a traveller the rest of the night.
Often he was spotted on road sides and in poorly beaten forest paths.