Aderyn y Corff

Aderyn y Corff
Similar entitiesRavens
Púca
FolkloreLegend
Other name(s)lit. transl. corpse bird
CountryWales

The Aderyn y Corff (Welsh for 'corpse bird'; sometimes also known as Aderyn corff or Deryn corff, or archaically Aderyn y Corph) is a bird from Welsh folklore who portends death. It is said to chirp outside a soon-to-be deceased person's door with a cry that sounds similar to dewch (Welsh for 'come').[1][2] The bird has no feathers or wings.[2] When not calling outside of a person's door, it is said to live on another plane of existence.[2]

The Aderyn y Corff is referenced twice in the Welsh-language version of the bible, which some authors have claimed is the origin of the superstition.[3][1] Many contemporary accounts of the corpse bird have suggested that it is actually a screech owl, drawn to lights coming from the room of a patient.[3][1][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Owen, David (1848). Allivedd y cyssegr, neu eglurhad byr ar yr Ysgrythyrau Sanctaidd, yn cynnwys casgliad detholedig o sylwadau Thomas Hartwell Horne, M.A., Francis Roberts, D.D., Stackhouse, Burder, Gleig, ac eraill (in Welsh). Llanymddyfri. p. 595.
  2. ^ a b c Sikes, Wirt (1881). British Goblins: Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions. Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington.
  3. ^ a b "Relating to Wales and the border countries". Bye-gones: 3. 1878.
  4. ^ "History of the Parish of Llanbyrnmair". Collections Historical & Archaeological Relating to Montgomeryshire. 22. Powysland Club: 327. 1888.