As you may know, behind Aeternum is a small business based in Brittany (in southern Finistère, to be precise). And it is well known that this region lives to the rhythm of legends, myths, and more or less well-known magical practices (Brocéliande, Merlin, the Lady Viviane, the standing stones, and many others). Thus, to shed light on our beautiful region, we will regularly publish little-known legends from Breton history.
This week, I invite you to discover the legend of the Old Glutton, which takes place at the Château de Trévarez (which I highly recommend visiting). In addition to the magnificent château, you will stroll through an enchanting estate with many different faces, like an ode to Nature.
It is said that on the estate, shrouded in mysterious mists, the specter of the Marquise de Trévarez returned to haunt the dark corridors of her former château. This place, once a symbol of magnificence and grandeur, would, at nightfall, transform into a theater of supernatural events.
The legend mentions Ar Loncheghez Coz, or “the Old Glutton,” a nickname given by the locals to evoke her insatiable hunger for souls. This terrifying revenant sowed chaos throughout the château, making her presence known through strange noises, moved objects, and flickering lights. Her aura was so powerful that the surrounding residents feared approaching this reputedly cursed residence, afraid of meeting her icy gaze, which promised despair.
Faced with these disturbances, the rector of the parish of Laz, a man of faith and courage, decided to intervene. Armed with his prayers and unwavering determination, he went to the château on a night of the full moon, when the shadows seem darker and the spirits more agitated.
According to the account, during this spectral confrontation, the rector, through his powerful incantations, succeeded in taming the marquise’s spirit. He transformed her into a small Brittany spaniel, a creature with an innocent appearance but a melancholy gaze. He then entrusted the dog to his faithful servant, assigning him the task of taking it deep into the surrounding woods.
There, in a moonlight that seemed silver, the rector drew a ritual circle around the small dog. He struck the animal three times with a consecrated wand, each blow resounding like the tolling of the bell of regained freedom. Without looking back, the priest walked away, leaving behind the whispers of the leaves and the breath of the wind, which seemed to carry a prayer that the marquise’s tormented soul might finally find rest.
The legend concludes that, from that moment on, the marquise’s soul was absorbed into the depths of the earth, imprisoned for eternity in a labyrinth of roots and stone, never to return to haunt the world of the living... or so we hope.
Par Olivier of Aeternum
Passionate about esoteric traditions and the history of the occult from the earliest civilizations to the 18th century, I share some articles on these topics. I am also co-creator of the online esoteric shop Aeternum.
