Tradition: Belgian Mythology
Alternative Names: Colôrobètch, Colô Rodje Bètch, Red Beak, Red-Beaked Rooster
Category: Bird
The Myth
Colôrobètch is a frightening red-beaked creature used to embody childhood fears of the cold, punishment, and dangerous places. His most distinctive feature is his beak, stained red with blood, although it is uncertain whether he is truly a bird, a human being, or a grotesque mixture of the two.
Colôrobètch appears during winter, preying on children foolish enough to go outside without clothing warm enough to protect them from the icy wind. He nips at their exposed faces and hands until their skin becomes red, dry, cracked, and bleeding. His name is therefore tied directly to his blood-red beak and the injuries caused by the cold. He was a warning to children to protect themselves from the freezing winter air, which could bring frostbite to their noses and hands.
Around Andenne, Bastogne, Dinant, Huy, Neufchâteau, and Warsage, the creature is known as Colôrobètch. In On, Oignies, and Stavelot, he is simply called the Red Beak. His appearance changes from place to place: in Somme-Leuze he is imagined as a monstrous sparrow, while in Condroz and Hesbaye he takes the form of a pigeon. In Namur, he is specifically known as Colôrobètch or Colô Rodje Bètch, meaning the “Red-Beaked Rooster.”
In Andenne, the creature takes on an even darker form. There, Colôrobètch becomes a nocturnal water bogey who lurks around the Meuse and drags unwary children into its depths.
Sources
“Colorobetch.” A Book of Creatures. March 21, 2016. https://abookofcreatures.com/2016/03/21/colorobetch/