The banshee, from Irish: bean sí [bʲæn ˈʃiː] is a female spirit in Irish mythology,
usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the underworld.
In legend, a banshee is a fairy woman who begins to wail if someone is about to die.
In Scottish Gaelic mythology, she is known as the bean sìth or bean nighe and is seen
washing the bloodstained clothes or armour of those who are about to die. Alleged sightings
of banshees have been reported as recently as 1948. Similar beings are also found in
Welsh, Norse and American folklore.
History and mythology In legend, a banshee wails nearby when someone
is about to die. There are Gaelic families who are believed to have banshees attached
to them, and whose cries herald the death of a member of that family. Most, though not
all, surnames associated with banshees have the Ó or Mac prefix, indicating their name
is native to Ireland, not descended from invaders. They were also associated with the Airlie
clan. Accounts of banshees go back as far as 1380 with the publication of the Cathreim
Thoirdhealbhaigh by Sean mac Craith. Mentions of banshees can also be found in Norman literature
of that time. Traditionally, when a person died a woman
would sing a lament at the funeral. These women are referred to as "keeners" and the
best keeners would be in high demand. Legend has it that for great Gaelic families – the
O'Gradys, the O'Neills, the Ó Longs, the McCnaimhíns, the Ó Briains, the Ó Conchobhairs,
and the Caomhánachs – the lament would be sung by a fairy woman; having foresight,
she would sing it when a family member died, even if the person had died far away and news
of their death had not yet come, so that the wailing of the banshee was the first warning
the household had of the death. The Ó Briains' banshee was thought to have
the name of Eevul, and was ruler of 25 other banshees who would always be at her attendance.
It is thought that from this myth comes the idea that the wailing of numerous banshees
signifies the death of a great person. In later versions, the banshee might appear
before the death and warn the family by wailing. When several banshees appeared at once, it
indicated the death of someone great or holy. The tales sometimes recounted that the woman,
though called a fairy, was a ghost, often of a specific murdered woman, or a mother
who died in childbirth. Banshees are frequently described as dressed
in white or grey, often having long, pale hair which they brush with a silver comb,
a detail scholar Patricia Lysaght attributes to confusion with local mermaid myths. This
comb detail is also related to the centuries-old traditional romantic Irish story that, if
you ever see a comb lying on the ground in Ireland, you must never pick it up, or the
banshees, having placed it there to lure unsuspecting humans, will spirit such gullible humans away.
Other stories portray banshees as dressed in green, red, or black with a grey cloak.
One explanation for the origin of the banshee is in the screech of the Barn owl. The nocturnal
hunter is known for its chilling screech and has long been associated with agricultural
activities in Ireland, attracted to the rodent activity around grain stores and barns.
The banshee can appear in a variety of guises. Most often she appears as an ugly, frightening
hag, but she can also appear as a stunningly beautiful woman of any age that suits her.
In some tales, the figure who first appears to be a banshee or other hag is later revealed
to be the Irish battle goddess, the Morrígan. The banshee may also appear in a variety of
other forms, such as that of a hooded crow, stoat, hare and weasel – animals associated
in Ireland with witchcraft. In 1437, King James I of Scotland was approached
by an Irish seer who was later identified as a banshee who foretold his murder at the
instigation of the Earl of Atholl. There are records of several prophets believed to be
incarnate banshees attending the great houses of Ireland and the courts of local Irish kings.
In some parts of Leinster, she is referred to as the bean chaointe whose wail can be
so piercing that it shatters glass. In Kerry in the southwest of Ireland, her keen is experienced
as a "low, pleasant singing"; in Tyrone in the north, as "the sound of two boards being
struck together"; and, on Rathlin Island, as "a thin, screeching sound somewhere between
the wail of a woman and the moan of an owl". In other mythologies
American folklore Stories of banshees can also be found in America
in the late 18th century. The most prevalent of the American stories comes from Tar River
in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. However, in this variation of the story, the banshee
is simply a ghoul, as opposed to a sign of misfortune.
In the badlands of South Dakota, a banshee is said to wail upon a hill near Watch Dog
Butte. Like other American tales of banshees, this legend does not connect her to any particular
death. Other Celtic cultures
In Scottish mythology, a similar creature is known as the bean nighe or ban nigheachain
or nigheag na h-àth. In Welsh folklore, a similar creature is known as the Hag of the
mist. In popular culture
See Banshee in popular culture See also
Notes
Further reading Sorlin, Evelyne. Cris de vie, cris de mort:
Les fées du destin dans les pays celtiques. Academia Scientiarum Fennica. ISBN 978-951-41-0650-7.
Lysaght, Patricia. The banshee: The Irish death-messenger. Roberts Rinehart. ISBN 978-1-57098-138-8.
An encyclopedia of fairies: Hobgoblins, brownies,
bogies, and other supernatural creatures. Pantheon. 1976. ISBN 978-0-394-73467-5.
Evans Wentz, Walter Yeeling. The Fairy-Faith in celtic countries, its psychological origin
and nature. C. Smythe. OCLC 257400792 External links
MovilleInishowen.com: The Legend of the Banshee, Leo Bowes
Irish Culture and Customs: Creepy Irish Creatures, Bridget Haggerty
Chisholm, Hugh, ed.. "Banshee". Encyclopædia Britannica. Cambridge University Press.