Saturday, September 21, 2019

Fairy Myth: The Banshee




                                              ~~~~Scarah Screams by ashiori_chan ~~~~

                                                          Banshee from Monster High..


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The Banshee / Bean Si or Wailing Woman is seen as a harbinger of death, and is often said too haunt specific Irish family's though this is not always the case.

The legends  of the banshee can be traced back at least  as far as the early eighth century.

These story's  were based on an old Irish tradition where a women would sing a lament to signify a persons death.


In Scottish Mythology there is also a similar creature it's known as a the Bean nighe or ban nigheachain (little washerwoman) or nigheag na h-àth (little washer at the ford).

In Welsh mythology, She is  called the Hag of the mist.



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There are even stories of banshee's or banshee like creature in  America dating back to as early as the late 18th century.

 The most common area for the American Banshee is the Tar River in Edgecombe County, North Carolina .

Though unlike her Celtic counterpart,  this version of  the banshee is more like  a ghoul, as opposed to a spirit or messenger of death.

In one version of this legend a man named Dave Warnen was killed by the British and on his final breath cured them, as the  legend goes a banshee soon appeared and lead his killers tohe river were they drowned. She is said to still haunt the area.
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Another version of the American  Banshee can be found in the badlands area of South Dakota, where  people claim to hear a banshee's wail from a hill near Watch Dog Butte.
                                                            Banshee of the Badlands
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Many people in our modern time see the myth of the banshees as little more then entertaining Folk lore, something akin to campfire tales  while others believe wholeheartedly  in their existence.

Do Banshee's cause  death or simply foretell it, there have been reports of heart attacks or drowning and other sudden deaths of otherwise healthy individuals within  weeks following what was thought to be the sound of a banshee’s cry.

One of the most famous example of this is King James I of Scotland who was murdered soon after he reported having been approached by a strange Irish seer. 
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---King James 1 Banshee encounter------
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 In 1437,King James 1 of Scotland was approached by an Irish seer or fortune teller who was later identified as a banshee She foretold his murder at the instigation of the Earl of Atholl.
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There are records of several prophets believed to be physical  incarnations of  banshees attending the great houses of Ireland and the courts of local Irish kings.



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-----Family said to be haunted by a Banshee----------------
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A banshee’s cry is often believed to predicts the death of a member of one of Ireland’s five major families: the O’Grady’s, the O’Neills, the O’Briens, the O’Connors or the Kavanaghs. Over time as families blended, it was said that most Irish families had their own banshee.

It is also said that the banshees followed their families as they emigrated from Ireland to other places across the globe, though some stayed behind to grieve at the original family estate.

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The Banshee that haunt's the O'Brians Family's was believed too be go by the name of Eevul, and was the apparently the leader of of at least  25 other banshees who would always be at her attendance. .

In later versions, the banshee might appear before the death and warn the family by wailing.

When several banshees appeared at once, it would  indicated the death of someone great or holy.







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In some versions a Banshee is a type of fairy,  in other story's she  was a ghost, often of a specific woman that had been murdered, or a mother who died during childbirth.

Banshees are usually 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  you away.

Other stories describe the banshees as being dressed in green, red, or black and often with a grey or dark cloak.
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In traditional Scottish Gaelic mythology, the banshee is known as the bean sìth or bean nighe and can be  seen washing the bloodstained clothes or armor of those who are about to die. Similar beings are also found in Norse, and Welsh mythology.
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..Other Media ...

The America paranormal drama Teen Wolf

                                               Teen Wolf --  Lydia Martin the Banshee
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Monster High resident banshee named Scarha Screams..

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 and another well know charter the villain know as Silver Banshee from DC Comics



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Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers had a banshee in the Episode called "The Last Leprechaun"


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and

Tiny Toon Adventures had an ep featuring a banshee as well . "Pluck of the Irish"



Hope you all enjoy these post's, starting next week i will be doing mostly Cryptid/ monster post  until Halloween or a little after. Happy early Halloween lol

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