The Death Cart of the Nantes Region
Location: 4 Rue de la Gaborlais, 44750 Campbon, France
Undead
by @anton
In the Nantes region, the Death Cart (charrette de la mort, charrigot, or charigot de nuit) is attested in several areas: the Guérande peninsula, the Coislin region, around Bouvron, and near the Gâvre forest.
According to Henri de Parscau du Plessix (Contes et croyances populaires de la Brière, 1910), it is described as a terrifying vehicle whose body, four wheels and shaft are made of human bones. It is pulled by three horse carcasses harnessed one behind another, while in the middle of the cart sits Death itself, the inevitable Death.
Before appearing, the cart is announced by frightening sounds: the noise of its wheels is heard as “boum-roum-boum-roum” or “cric-crac-cric-crac”. It is always pulled by animals, although these may be visible or invisible. In Crossac, for example, the cart is said to be drawn by birds, while elsewhere people imagined invisible oxen or horses pulling it through the night.
The driver of the cart is also invisible, but his terrifying voice can be heard as he urges on his animals, shouting “hue donc ! hue donc !” or “hé là ! hé là !”
The cart is filled with the souls of the dead, who scream from inside and call out to a passer-by "débouti nous ! " déboutis nous ! mais ne regarde pas dedans"
The Death Cart particularly haunted the “paths of the dead” (chemins des morts), a type of road that could be found—and can still sometimes be found—in every parish (cf photo, googlemap in Plessé)
Source : https://www.academia.edu/168898605/De_l_Anko%C3%B9_%C3%A0_la_Chasse_fantastique De Parscau du Plessix, Contes et croyances populaires de la Brière, 1910
Part of the legend: Wild Hunt
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