Bean Nighe
A Scottish washerwoman spirit who washes blood-stained clothes as an omen of death.
- Region
- Scotland
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Category
- Folklore
- Continent
- Europe
The report
The Bean Nighe (literally 'washerwoman' in Scots Gaelic) is a female spirit thought to be the spirit of a woman who died in childbirth. She is commonly reported near streams and fords washing the blood-stained clothes of those about to die. Encounters with the Bean Nighe appear throughout Scottish Highlands folklore; she may be propitiated or questioned for prophetic knowledge. Collected accounts date to the 18th and 19th centuries.
Sources and further reading
Location
56, -5
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