The origin of the Banshee myth


Etymology: The word Banshee derives from the Irish language known as Gaelic. She is also called Banshie, Bean Si, Bean Sidhe, and Ban Side, among other name variations. Banshee is comprised of two words in Irish, ‘bean’ and ‘sídhe’ which literally means ‘female fairy’ or ‘woman of the otherworld’. The bean sdhe-spelled ban sith in Scots Gaelic but sounds the same—is one of numerous fairies in Gaelic folklore who use the "[word] + sdhe/sith" name convention. There is also a lovely enchantress known as the leannán sdhe, a big black cat known as the cat-sth, and a green dog known as the cù-sth.

More on the etymology of the word Banshee at: A Dictionary of Irish Mythology. Ellis, P.B. 1987

The many shapes and habits of Banshees:The Banshee fairy is a female spirit who lives by the river. They can have the appearance of an old hag or a young and beautiful woman. The Banshee was seen as the omen of death and only cried for certain ancient Irish families, (with names such as O’Neil, O’Connor, and O’Donnell) often staying near the home a particular lineage for generations. In Ireland and Scotland, it was once traditional for women to wail or keen at funerals or Irish wakes, which nspired by the keen of the Banshee. Hearing her cry signalled that death was nearby. Having foresight, she would appear before the death occurred, weeping the loss in the family. It was believed that the banshee fairy sang such a sad song because she was a friend of the family, she was not anything evil, she was simply mourning an unavoidable and tragic death. According to folklore, a Banshee ghost would sometimes perch on a windowsill in the form of a bird, where she’d remain for several hours or even days until death comes to call. Often, as the Banshee escapes into the darkness, witnesses have described a bird-like fluttering sound. Thus, some believe that banshees are birdlike creatures. The Banshee spirit also wails in other areas such as woods, rivers, and rock formations. In Waterford, Monaghan, and Carlow, there are wedge-shaped rocks which are referred to as “Banshee’s Chairs.”

In some cases, the Banshee fairy was reported to look like a simple washerwoman or laundress. The clothes she tended to wash were blood-stained and the armour she washed belonged to a soldier who would die in their next battle. As mentioned, Banshee can manifest in many forms and disguises, the most common of which is the appearance of a beautiful or ugly woman. But they are also believed to appear as animals like the weasel, stoat, hare, or the hooded crow. These animals were commonly associated with witchcraft in Ireland in the past which probably explains the connection.
Banshee is usually perceived as being quite fair, with long, pale hair that she grooms with a special silver comb. According to superstition, finding a comb on the ground and picking it up is extremely bad luck, because a Banshee has placed it there to lure the unsuspecting and lead them to ruin.

Subsequent Christian tradition, which, in Ireland, has been strictly tied with old Gaelic folklore, seem to juxtappose the Banshee with a witch, or even a haunting presence that scares and prepare men for their death. More recent traditions state that the Banshee is the soul of a young woman, which, having being mistreated by a man during her lifetime, wonders aorund the countryside, warning him of his incoming death. The Romantic scholars, such as Yates, mainly contributed to the forging of this view, which is still noticeable in modern readaptations of the myth. In its most modern acception, influenced by pop culture and cinema, the Banshee survives in its most horror-like features.

The origin of the Banshee lament: keening women


Derived from the Irish word caoineadh, which means to cry or weep, keening was a mourning practice that persisted into early modern Ireland. It is similar to a chant, only performed with a strained, nasally voice. According to Irish mythology, ancestral keening laments are sung by banshees. A banshee could sing when a family member died or was about to die, even if the person had died far away and news of their death had not yet come. In those cases, her wailing would be the first warning the household had of the death. Keening women have been described as "the (human) structural adjunct of the banshee”. Keening in County Kerry was said to be closest to the wailing of a banshee.

The keen or lament was a significant component in death ceremonies, and virtually all records passed down indicate that it was predominantly a female duty. The reports of women performing laments much outnumber those of males, and there are very few of men at all. Scholars describe the keening lament as a highly articulate tradition of women's poetry, stating that this act was a central element of women culture in ancient Ireland. As women in shepard's villages are seen as caretakers of the entire community, this part of the funeral ritual served to help the soul travel from the world of the living into the spirit world.

What the keening wake looked like? Based on the evidence from historical and folklore documents, we can paint a picture of the keening process. The transition of the soul/spirit is solely in the hands of the village women, who scream to bring life into the word and sing to accompany death. We are told that the "gol" (or cry) was the most constituent part of the keen, this is a mourning, pityful, piercing cry. The description of this scream state that it bears a "supernatural" power, and it is often accompanied by scratching of the face and tearing hairs, or beating one's chests and hands.

The practice if often described as deeply emotionally charged, sometimes esthatic and with profoundly unsettling. Thus, eventually, it encountered some form of resistance and demonization from the clergy memebers, which started accusing female keeners of witchcraft. Later, the church introduced male keeners, to bring an end to the wailing and screaming of female keeners. The male keeners, formed by the curch, performed some odes and chants, which were introduced to force a more traditional patriarchal mourning ceremony. Of course, beside the eternal struggle between men and women, these events can also be seen in the light of the fight between pagan beliefs and the new Christian tradition.

Of course, the Church did not eradicate the practice at all. In the modern age, keening woman were still seen attending small town mourning rituals. The ritual has lost some of its most impactful properties, but some rearrangements of the keening chants have been recordered and reinterpreted. The high pitched, lamentous sound, has even inspired the famous Irish singer Dolores O'Riordan vocal style.




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