The fleeing soldiers were often killed by their enemies or their own armies due to desertion.Įven the late 1940s produced alleged sightings in Ireland of the banshee, according to the Derry Post. They were so terrified of their possible deaths that they abandoned the battles altogether. Other stories highlight the experiences of soldiers who thought they heard the banshee’s wail before they began the battle. The next morning, they discovered he had died about the same time. They said they heard the name “Rossmore” yelled three times. Once back home, his guests, wife, and maid reported hearing sounds coming from outside the window. In 1801, the Commander in Chief of the British forces in Ireland allegedly received a visit from a banshee after attending a party. They found out later that their friend’s cousin, who was also staying there, had died overnight. She and her husband were visiting a friend when a piercing cry woke her up.Īt her window, she reportedly saw a pale red-haired woman wearing white leaning toward the window, who called out, “Ahone, Ahone, Ahone,” or the ancient Irish ochón, which means “alas” and is used to show great despair. In 1437, a seer went to King James I of Scotland and predicted his murder.Īnother famous alleged encounter was recorded in the memoirs of Lady Fanshawe in 1649. Human Banshees supposedly started appearing soon after the firsthand accounts began. They also thought that banshees watched just over the main Irish families-the O’Neills, O’Connors, O’Briens, O’Gradys, and Kavanaghs. They believed that the Banshee would watch over the family until all of them died. In the Middle Ages, the idea of the Banshee was widely accepted in Ireland. Walt Disney Banshee From the Disney film Darby O’Gill and the Little Peopleįirsthand written accounts of the Banshee go back to 1380, according to the Irish Post, with some references to them in some Norman literature. By the 17th century, the term Banshee began to be used regularly and was mostly accepted. The mythology says that banshees will disappear in a cloud of mist when seen, followed by the sound of flapping wings. Because of this, they were doomed to be banshees. Known as keeners, these women were often seen as sinners because they accepted alcohol for payment for their songs. The first stories of the banshees have been traced back to 8th-century Irish traditions in which women would sing a sad song to lament someone’s death. The History - And Firsthand Acounts - Of Banshees For the most part, however, banshees typically don’t cause death but foretell it. Allegedly, evil banshees cause death by screaming so much that the person goes insane or commits suicide. In others, the old banshee’s red eyes and screams torture the living. In one tale, the banshee is the ghost of a girl who died violently and comes back to warn the family when such a death is about to occur again. These depictions make for a scarier spirit, and are said to be celebrating the death instead of mourning it - because they hated the person who is about to die. On the flip side of this, legends also speak of the angrier, more frightening Banshees that we are used to seeing in movies and popular culture. Some were said to be beautiful creatures whose song was filled with love and concern for their families over an imminent death. Are Banshees Good Or Bad?ĭespite the fear and some of the descriptions that go along with them, banshees weren’t all considered vengeful or hateful. It is also said that each family has its own banshee, which may be the reasoning behind the varying descriptions. While some of these descriptions are disturbing, legend has it that the banshee doesn’t cause death but only acts as a warning of it coming. Sometimes she is allegedly a young woman, sometimes a washerwoman washing blood out of clothes, and sometimes an older woman. Sometimes, red glowing eyes are also a part of her description. Reportedly, if the banshee is headless, she carries a bowl of blood but is naked from the waist up. She may also have a shroud, veil, or cloak covering her face. In various instances, she is described as dressed in a silver, green, black, or white dress.
It may be silver, red, white, or gray, but in other depictions, more horrifyingly, she is headless. There are varying ideas about her appearance, but one thing stays the same: the banshee generally has long hair. The fairy allegedly warns of the coming doom and is an omen of death. Instead of carrying a scythe like the Grim Reaper and appearing only to the doomed themselves, the banshee is sometimes said to carry a comb - and to wail as a warning for the entire family to know that one of them is about to die.Īccording to Irish folklore, a bean sídhe or “woman of fairyland” emits an ear-splitting cry. Prowse/Wikimedia Commons “The Banshee Appears,” 1862.
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