Portens of Death
A church bell ringing on a windless
night fortells a death.
A coffin dropping during the
funeral procession means another will follow shortly.
Two funerals bring a third.
A dog howling at night.
A dog scratching at the hearth.
A rooster crowing in the middle
of the night; if the rooster faces one particular house, the death will
occur within that family.
An owl hooting fortells death.
A white owl flying across one's
path fortells that person's death.
Death Omens
The Corpse Candle:
A light which moved from the mouth of the dying person and traced the route
from place of death, to the place of the funeral, and then to the graveyard.
(canwyll gorff)
The Corpse Bird:
Any bird tapping on the window of a sick person; any bird who flies into
a house while someone is sick. This can be any bird, but the Robin
and the White Owl are the most feared. (aderyn corff)
Fairy Dogs: Called
Cwn Bendith y Mamau, these dogs are part of the Wild Hunt.
Their appearance sometimes preceeds a funeral procession some days before
it. They will also howl while crossing a stream or a crossroads.
Ghostly Funeral Procession:
The spectre of a funeral yet to be, heading toward the graveyard.
Anyone caught in the path of the funeral procession will be carried to
their own grave. (toili)
Harbingers of Death
Cyhiraeth:
A wailing heard at night, usually by the closest relation to the soon-to-be
deceased.
Night Blighter:
An elf who somewhat blinded a traveller and caused him or her to wander
around lost, always returning to the same spot. (mallt y nos)
The Scream: A sound
heard near the ocean. This scream would fortell of deadly storms,
a warning to sailors and fishermen. (y wawch)
The Hag: An ugly
old woman who would stand at a crossroad and howl. Hearing her meant
that oneself or someone in one's family would soon die. (y wrach)
Other:
'Jac a Lantar':
A gasseous light rising from bogland. People who see this become
hypnotized by its light and follow it to a death in the bog. The
term itself is eerily similar to the practice of carving pumpkins, or Jack'o'lanterns.
Crossroads: Crossroads
seem to be important in the scheme of death. Suicides and unhallowed
deaths were often buried at a crossroads. At one time it was customary
for a funeral procession to stop at the crossroads before reaching the
graveyard, possibly for a breather for the pallbearers, possibly for a
superstitious reason. The howling of the Cwn Bendith y Mamau
and of Y Wrach at crossroads set their significance in tradition.
It isn't understood now whether this was to confuse a spirit, as in the
case of unhallowed deaths, or to facilitate the passage of a soul.
I would opt for the second.