is encountered during the year in the evening or in the middle of the night in known places (laundrette, creek), sometimes during the nights of full moon, sometimes only on the eve of the feast of the dead (All Saints' Day). Numerous folk tales on the subject have been collected during the 19th and 20th century. In Breton, the washerwomen are collectively known as ar c’hannerezed-noz, ar c’houerezed-noz or ar vaouez o welc’hin. The late written tales we have of the Lavendières do not allow us to know with certainty if they have the same mythological origin as the bean nighe. According to a Breton tradition, they are deceased who were buried in a dirty shroud: Ireland In Ireland, they are an ominous portent, foretelling death, either one's own or a death in the family. The washerwomen of Ireland wash the bloodied shirts of those about to die. Scotland In Scotland, if one can get between the washerwomen and the water, they are required to grant three wishes in exchange for three questions answered truthfully. There is also a tradition in Scotland of a single washer at the ford, the goddess Clotha, who gives the River Clyde its name. Wales and Cornwall In Wales and Cornwall a passerby must avoid being seen by the washerwomen. If they do get seen however, they are required to help wring out the sheets. If they twist the sheets in the same direction as the washerwomen, the individual's arms will be wrenched from their sockets and they will get pulled into the wet sheets and killed instantly. If, however, they twist in the opposite direction, the washerwomen are required to grant the person three wishes. England The washerwomen rarely appear in England, although lonely pools are often haunted by some supernatural creature, which may have derived from the same original root. See also Three Witches in Macbeth ancient classical myths of the Fates: the Greek Moirai and the Roman Parcae References Breton legendary creatures Cantabrian legendary creatures Female legendary creatures Laundry Celtic mythology British folklore Triple goddesses