Ankou is a personification of death mainly in Breton mythology.

It is said that he is the one who collects the souls of the dead and aids them on their journey to the next world, in his old rickety cart. The cart is pulled along by two horses, one is old and thin, while the other is youthful and strong.

According to legend he is tall, and wears a wide-brimmed hat and long coat. Some tales have it that he has two companions, following behind his cart.

There are many tales involving Ankou.

One says that there were three drunk friends walking home one night, when they came across an old man on a rickety cart. Two of the men started shouting at Ankou, and then throwing stones, when they broke the axle on his cart they ran off.

The third friend felt bad, and so wanting to help Ankou, first found a branch to replace the broken axle, and then gave Ankou his shoe-laces to tie it to the cart with. The next morning, the two friends who were throwing stones at Ankou were dead, whereas the one who stayed to help only had his hair turned white, but he never mentioned what happened that night.

Ankou is helped by Les Lavandières.