Creature Feature 02: the Banshee
After watching the documentary episode "Ghosts" and talking to the Bibeanna today, it seemed natural to write about the banshee. Several of the people of Dingle say that they have heard the voice of this type of spirit, who is said to follow certain families in these parts...
The word "banshee" comes from the Irish "bean sí," meaning "woman of the faerie mounds." Banshee are female spirits, associated with death. The banshee are said to appear to people who are about to die, or to the family members of those about to die. In many cases, the banshee are not seen, but can be heard wailing or singing in the distance to signify death is coming. Some of the Bibeanna interviewed by Brenda explained that they had heard this ghostly singing/wailing before one of their family members died, and that this was a reoccurring event for several people in that family. This idea of banshees being tied to certain families is a recurring one in old Irish tradition, with certain families tracing their banshee encounters back several generations.
After watching the documentary episode "Ghosts" and talking to the Bibeanna today, it seemed natural to write about the banshee. Several of the people of Dingle say that they have heard the voice of this type of spirit, who is said to follow certain families in these parts...
The word "banshee" comes from the Irish "bean sí," meaning "woman of the faerie mounds." Banshee are female spirits, associated with death. The banshee are said to appear to people who are about to die, or to the family members of those about to die. In many cases, the banshee are not seen, but can be heard wailing or singing in the distance to signify death is coming. Some of the Bibeanna interviewed by Brenda explained that they had heard this ghostly singing/wailing before one of their family members died, and that this was a reoccurring event for several people in that family. This idea of banshees being tied to certain families is a recurring one in old Irish tradition, with certain families tracing their banshee encounters back several generations.
Some historians believe that the idea of the wailing female ghost comes from "keeners," women hired to sing mourning songs at funerals. Some legends tell of keeners of faerie origins who worked for noble families, and would start to wail when a member of said family died, before anyone from the family itself knew of the death. This may also explain some of the idea of banshees being tied to certain families.
Others attribute the wailing of the banshee to the screech of the owl, a bird which has archetypal associations with death in European culture, and can be seen in tales including Shakespeare's Scottish play, Macbeth, where an owl announces the death of the king to Lady Macbeth.
Others attribute the wailing of the banshee to the screech of the owl, a bird which has archetypal associations with death in European culture, and can be seen in tales including Shakespeare's Scottish play, Macbeth, where an owl announces the death of the king to Lady Macbeth.
Like the puca, the banshee is a very popular piece of Irish folklore, who has been imagined and re-imagined over time, in a variety of manners, ranging from demonic zombie-like creatures to sad, beautiful women. The banshee can also be found in various other cultures, under forms that are more or less like the original Irish myth. In Scottish tales, the banshee are most often seen washing the bloodstained clothes of those about to die in a violent manner, while in America, tales of ghost women also exist, though they bring bad luck rather than foretell any death. It seems that no matter where you go, there will always be a place in peoples' minds for ghosts, especially those that predict what will come our way.