Ankou

The Ankou is one of the most important figures of the Breton Mythology and folklore. He is known in the French region of Brittany and the other remnants of the former eponymous kingdom as the personification or the harbinger of Death, quite similar to the Grim Reaper He is regarded as protector for the deceased but a bad omen for the living. He also inspired many modern-day works and stories.

Description
It is said that in the beginning, the Ankou was a being tasked to perpetuate the cycle of life and death, wielding a hammer able to grant life and death, being linked to Suscellus, Gaul God of Nature, Prosperity, Life and Death; Dagda, Irish God of Druids, Science and the Land of Deads; and other Celtic deities with similar attributes. However, as centuries went by the Ankou became solely associated with Death and was progressively likened to a Grim Reaper-like psychopomp.

The Ankou appears in many tales of various origin, mostly gathered from oral tradition. As such his description and origin do not always correspond from one tale to another. He is always described as a tall and thin figure clad in black, wearing a large felt hat concealing his face, standing up in a cart in which he gather the souls of the deads, and wielding a scythe whose blade is turned towards the exterior in order to strike outward. He is sometimes depicted as a living man-shaped shadow, sometimes as a skeleton whose head is turning without end like a weather vane, in order to watch his entire surrounding. However, his most common depiction is that of a tall and skinny old man, with long white hair, and a gaunt, haggard face.