Youdic

Fearsome entrance to infernal regions cited often in Breton lore. The actual Youdic is a deep pit in the flat, black quagmire of Yeun (also Yeun-Elez, Yeunn Ellez) in the Arrée mountains of Finistère, north-western Brittany. Hapless mortals peering into Youdic risked being seized and dragged down by unseen forces below. Malevolent fiends, often taking the form of a great black dog, are heard baying at night. Another sound heard floating on the night wind comes from the mad revels of lost souls. In Christian folklore the Youdic was thought to be a place for confining the possessed, but St Michael can save souls from falling in.