The Banshee
The Banshee or “bean sí” or “bean sidhe”in Irish Mythology, is a female spirit-like creature that is usually seen as a death omen or a messenger from the underworld. The term banshee translates from Old Irish (ben síde) as ‘Woman of the fairy mound” or “fairy woman.”
According to legend, the wail of the banshee is a warning that someone is about to die. In Scottish Gaelic mythology, she’s known as the bean sìth or bean nighe and is reported to be washing the bloodstained clothes or armor of those marked for death. She is also referred to as the “Washer Woman.” Sightings have been for centuries and are also known in both Welsh and Norse folklore, with some reports coming from the United States.
The scream of a banshee is known as the “caoine” which translates as the “keening.” Originally, it was a mark of death in one of the five major Irish families: the O’Grady’s, the O’Neills, the O’Briens, the O’Connors, or the Kavanaughs. With the blending of families through the centuries, it is now believed that most Irish families have their own banshee attached to them. As families left Ireland and emigrated around the world, it is believed that banshees followed those families, as well.
Descriptions vary from a woman with long red hair and deathly pale skin to an old hag with stringy grey hair, rotten teeth, and fiery red eyes. She was often depicted as having a comb in her hair and this detail led to the Irish belief that finding a comb on the ground is bad luck. It is also believed that she can change her form at will, resembling either or both versions.
The Bean nighe is supposedly the ghost of a woman who died during childbirth, but this version is found more in Scotland. She is described as wearing the clothes of the person about to die, while the “Washer Woman” is seen as dressed like a normal woman but is stooped over and cleaning bloody rags in a body of water.
It is believed that if a Banshee discovers that a human is watching her, she will vanish in a cloud of mist, and it sounds like the flapping of bird wings. Many believe that the banshee doesn’t actually cause death, but merely warns of it.
Sightings go back centuries, and the lore is often contradictory, but the banshee is a terrifying creature that deserves a great deal of respect. Whether you choose to believe it or not, there is simply too much lore on this subject to dismiss it outright. You do so at your own risk. After all, every legend and myth have its roots in something that really happened.
Just because you don’t believe in the fae folk, doesn’t mean they aren’t out there. Some are good and actively help people, but others are dark and dangerous. None should be taken lightly.
The Nightmare Hunters 