Laundry Day of the Damned
Sometimes one stumbles across something magical in folklore research. The "Kannerez-Noz", the phantom washerwomen of Brittany, haunt rivers and streams, washing out bloody linens and demanding passerby helping them wring out the clothes. Refusal results in drowning, while complying results in broken bones and mangling.
Phantom washerwomen are pretty common in Celtic mythology and folklore from Ireland to Spain. But, according to one source in the Southern town of Vaucluse, France, a pair of enterprising thieves exploited the fear of these vengeful spirits. Dressing in white gowns, they were spotted washing clothing in a stream by a guard, who they then demanded help them wring out the clothing. The guard noted the high-quality of the garb, but continued working throughout the night for fear of being drowned by the spectres. Only in the morning when they had vanished did he learn the nearby castle had been robbed and he had spent the night assisting the thieves in washing their ill-gotten gains of fine clothing and linens!
