What is a banshee?
If you see a banshee, pray for your family’s safety. She’s a harbinger of death, so one of your family members would be joining her soon.
However, a banshee doesn’t actually cause death; she merely serves as a warning of it.
Or so the Irish legends say.
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What Is A Banshee? (The Legend Of This Irish Mythological Creature)
Read on to find out more about this terrifying as well as fascinating Irish mythological creature.
What is a Banshee?
A banshee is depicted typically as an old witch who wails, shrieks, or keens to herald the death of a family member.
A disembodied spirit, a banshee may also appear in any forms from a beautiful woman wearing a veil or a pale one in a white (or silver) dress and long flowing red (or silver) hair. Sometimes she is without her head and carries a bowl of blood. She can be an old hag with scary red eyes and dressed in green or black.
The Irish call the banshee by different names, some of which are the “Little Washerwoman,” “Hag of the Mist,” and “Hag of the Black Head.”
Origin of the Banshee
The earliest stories of the banshee date back to the 8th century.
Those stories were based on an old Irish tradition where women called “keeners” lamented someone’s death with a dolorous song. They were sinners who accepted alcohol as payment and were said to be punished by being doomed to become banshees.
The name “banshee” – which comes from Old Irish “ben síde,” meaning “fairy woman” or “woman of the fairy mound” – is linked to the mythologically important síde (plural form of síd), the Old Irish for tumuli or mounds of earth and/or stones that dot the Irish countryside. Traditionally, tumuli covered graves and were thought to be home to spirits of the dead.
Belief in the existence of banshees was so widespread in Ireland many centuries ago that not believing was equal to committing sacrilege.
Why the Banshee Screams?
A banshee’s scream is called “keening,” which is a traditional form of expressing sorrow for your departed family members or dying loved ones.
The word “keen” derives from the Gaelic “caoineadh,” meaning “to weep.”
As mentioned earlier, “keeners” sang mournful songs to grieve someone’s death. They were sinners who became banshees that “keen” to announce that there is an impending death to be experienced by family members.
The banshee’s ability to predict death is the reason why her scream sparks fear in many Irish folks. However, no one knows how or where she gets her knowledge of a person’s impending death.
What It Means to Hear a Banshee Cry?
As per Irish legend, the banshee’s cry or scream is an omen of death.
The scream – called “caoine” or “caoineadh” which means “keen” or “keening” – serves as a sign or a warning that someone in the family is going to die soon.
It is said that every Irish family has its own banshee. This is where the “good” banshee comes in.
Some banshees develop strong ties to their families in life, continuing to keep an eye on them in death. These banshees appear as beautiful women when they manifest themselves to their families.
Their haunting song, filled with concern and love for their particular families, can be heard a few days before a family member dies. Quite often, the song can only be heard by the person the banshee picks.
Famous Stories and Legends of the Banshee
For centuries, stories and legends of the Irish banshee have been passed down from one generation to another.
Some legends have it that she is the ghost of a young lady so brutally murdered that she now guards and watches over families and loved ones, warning them of imminent death.
It is also said that the banshee can take on many forms. Some say she is a rag-clad old hag whose bloodshot eyes will cause immediate death if you dare look directly into them.
She is said to have scary long fingernails, bad teeth, and a bad attitude. She is perpetually screaming to torment the souls of the living.
As we know, the description of the banshee varies. In Ireland, however, she is generally seen as a beautiful young woman with long flowing hair that may be red, white, or silver.
Legend also has it that if a banshee gets seen, she will disappear into a cloud of mist, creating a noise that sounds like the flapping of a bird’s wings.
The Irish Times featured banshee sightings back in the late 19th century, with one reader reporting hearing a “low wail and after some time the most piteous sobbing I have ever heard.”
Another told about distinctly hearing the “mournful wail of the banshee” a day before his ill uncle passed on. More stories here.
The Banshee in Popular Culture
The banshee in popular culture is often shown as a menacing figure who causes death or destruction. She has been featured on a number of TV shows, animations, movies, comics, books, and video games. Here are some of them.
1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
In the 3rd installment of the massively successful Harry Potter book series, a boggart assumes the form of a banshee to scare Seamus Finnegan.
2. Scream of the Banshee
In the 2011 horror movie Scream of the Banshee, a professor of archaeology unearths a dangerous artefact, unwittingly releasing a terrifying banshee who kills with her ear-splitting scream.
3. Monster High
A banshee character by the name of Scarah Screams appears in the Monster High animation. Scarah Screams is also a doll created by Mattel, just like the other Monster High major characters.
4. Teen Wolf
In this 2011 American supernatural teen drama TV series, a character named Lydia Martin screams when someone is murdered. The episode titled “The Girl Who Knew Too Much” reveals that Lydia is actually a banshee.
5. Supernatural
In the 11th season of this American dark fantasy drama TV series, a banshee is featured in the episode titled “Into the Mystic.” She is being hunted for revenge 30 years after killing an Irish family. She is eventually killed with a gold knife.
Hi, I’m Christine – a full-time traveler and career woman. Although I’m from the Philippines, my location independent career took me to over 60 countries for the past 12 years. I also lived in 4 continents – from the Caribbean, South East Asia, Africa and now in Europe. But despite living in several countries, my love for Ireland remains the same. A country that had been a part of my life since I was 14 because of my love for Irish music and bands. Ireland Travel Guides was born because of this passion and hopefully, in some little ways, this website will be able to help you on your next trip to Ireland.
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